In the course of less than half an hour, nine cars honk at the man holding a cardboard guitar sporting advertisement for Little Caesar’s Pizza on the corner of Quivira Road and Shawnee Mission Parkway.

Dressed in a long, black trench coat, sporting the letters “WWJD,” on its back, a cowboy hat and cowboy boots, the man lightly pretends to strum the cardboard with ear buds separating him from the cars and noise around him.

“I have to say it means, ‘What Would Justin Do,’” 24-year-old Justin Tripp said of the letters on his jacket. “They don’t want anything religious.”

As he continues to strum and mouth the words to a country song under his breath, a truck driver takes a second glance at him as he drives through the intersection and a car full of teenagers stops at the red light and turns up the music, pretending to sing to the man.

Tripp has been what is called a shaker boarder for Little Caesar’s for almost four years now. Six days a week for three hours a shift, Tripp strives to entertain drivers and bring business to Little Caesar’s.

“What you’re supposed to do is hold a sign,” Tripp said. “I don’t hold a sign. I dance with a sign which makes it out of the ordinary.”

After graduating from Turner High School in 2007, Tripp decided not to attend college and work instead. He applied at Little Caeser’s and was hired on the spot. Tripp worked inside the pizza shop for two months before he began to work as a shaker boarder.

“College didn’t run in my family and for me graduating high school was big,” Tripp said. “I’d rather work than go to college and have the state or someone else pay for what I can’t afford.”

Despite being an entertainer at work, Tripp describes himself as shy outside of the job. Tripp said he hardly talks at church he regularly attends.

“My family says I’m a little weird,” Tripp said. “I’m shy when it comes to my church and I hardly talk. I usually just talk to my family.”

His coworkers, on the other hand, disagree.

“He’s regular Justin [outside of work], he’s just himself: silly,” Little Caesar’s employee Bryan Berthold said. “He talks like no other…I think he’s the best type of person.”

With the job comes interesting reactions from people driving by. Tripp has been flipped off, mooned and even paintballed.

“I brush it off,” Tripp said. “I don’t really care what people think of me. I’m here to entertain kids and get them to come inside with their parents.”

Tripp’s strong desire to connect with kids spurs from a separation from his own child. His son, Hayden, who is two years old now, was taken away by his birth mother when he was five months old. Tripp hasn’t seen him since.

“Whenever I first did this, it was to entertain,” Tripp said. “I wanted to make it OK. Then I did it for my son to see me with face paint on and laugh a little. Now, I just do it for me to show that I still have what I did as a little kid and just be entertaining.”

In 2009, when Tripp’s son was born, there was a tryout for the KC Wolf Kansas City Chief’s football mascot. Tripp wanted to try out but he put his son first.

“I didn’t show up to it because my son was born that week and I didn’t want to do it,” Tripp said. “[In the future], I would do it in a heartbeat.”

Tripp recently applied to become what he calls a “buddy” for young kids in Shawnee area schools. He will act as a mentor for children, even when his own is out of his reach.

“I’m trying to fight it [my son being gone], but right now I can’t afford a lawyer,” Tripp said.

For the time being, Tripp establishes community recognition. At Walmart, he is constantly recognized. People who regularly drive past him will honk at him with every passing. His clothing is even reflective of his desire to establish himself as part of the community. He dresses as a cowboy to make a historical statement.

“Because Shawnee used to have cowboys running through here [I dress this way],” Tripp said. “I don’t consider myself a cowboy, but I do consider myself family to Shawnee.”

Little Caesar’s employee Andy Medina sees the impact Tripp has on customers.

“He doesn’t influence us, he influences the customers out there,” Medina said. “Him wearing that board makes people want to get pizza.”

Medina said Tripp often gets hugs from customers and got a $30 tip last week.

“It’s weird, but it’s awesome,” Medina said.

Tripp sees himself in the position long into the future. He says he would do the job until he’s 90.

“Who wouldn’t want to work in a place where you can act five years old, just dancing around and enjoying yourself?” Tripp said.

And Tripp is dancing, rain or shine. He waves at a honking car as he describes recent restrictions on his job depending on weather. He only hopes the rules will be lenient.

“This past year there became a new rule. They don’t want me outside in the rain,” Tripp said. “I’m just hoping they’ll let me out in snow because I just want to build a snowman.”