💧 A Worthwhile Improvement, Made

[It’s not perfect, but we’ll take it.]
Back in April, I wrote about the Googly Eyes on the MBTA movement. This effort aimed to have googly eyes placed on Boston’s subway and train cars, and included a demonstration in downtown Boston. Though the cause was righteous, I had little hope we’d see results.

How wrong I was! Please see this email from MBTA Director of Communications Joe Pesaturo, recently received by movement organizer Arielle Lok:

Yes, some of Boston’s rail cars now have googly eyes. Yesterday, one of the trains was spotted in the wild, and soon after, the T confirmed the story to WBUR reporter Nik DeCosta-Klipa.

In total, the T says they put the fake eyes on five vehicles — on the Green Line and the commuter rail.

“After receiving public suggestions, our team found a safe way to install these ‘googly’ eyes on a limited number of vehicles,” a T spokesman said.

It’s absolutely wonderful to see this silliness fulfilled. The world needs more whimsical nonsense. However, I find I must quibble with the MBTA’s implementation. A key aspect of googly eyes is that the move. As a train rumbles into a station, the eyes should be agog. Delightful those these eyes are, they appear to be static paint or stickers.
I can understand this is a simpler solution, one in which there need be no concern of the eyes falling off the train. I don’t wish to look a gift googly-eyed train in the mouth (just in the eyes). Still, for me, the true dream of googly eyes on the T remains but partially fulfilled.