Wally Amos used cookies, watermelons and children’s books Monday night to inspire a crowd of University students, faculty members and guests.
Amos, founder of Famous Amos Cookies, entered the Union Ballroom carrying a watermelon bag; wearing watermelon shoes, a watermelon hat, a flower lei; and playing a song on his watermelon kazoo necklace.
He won the affection of his audience with his crazy outfit, cheerful rambling and promise of free cookies before he even began his speech about how to lead a successful life.
Amos started out as a Hollywood talent agent and began the cookie company after using the bite-sized treats as calling cards.
He left the Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Company in 1999, long after it became a multi-million dollar company.
Amos, who tries to spend as much time as possible relaxing at his home in Hawaii, recently decided to return to the cookie world.
“I decided I was going back to the cookie business,” Amos said. “I am the cookie man.”
Amos is in the midst of starting a new cookie company named “Aunt Della’s Cookies.” Aunt Della was his aunt who gave him the initial inspiration to make chocolate chip cookies his life and whom he now sees as his guardian angel.
“Starting a company is not as easy as people would have it,” Amos said.
Several different problems have prevented Aunt Della’s Cookies from launching on time, but the entrepreneur encouraged the audience not to let problems get them down.
“You must maintain your calm,” Amos said. “You cannot afford to panic. In times of crisis, people tend to focus on the crisis. The only way to deal with a crisis is to focus on answers and solutions.”
When the Famous Amos company sued Amos for the use of his name, it tested his patience.
The 19-month lawsuit resulted in the judge awarding the company rights to the name “Wally Amos” for anything related to food production, but Amos could use the name for all other purposes.
Amos said he learned a lot from this experience, and it actually has helped him in the course of his life.
“I am famous because of my attitude,” Amos said. “The idea is to grow through these experiences and to learn from them. You learn from your experiences, and they strengthen you. Then, you will be ready to deal with whatever comes later in life.”
Amos encouraged his audience members not to let worries get in the way of their success. Worrying only is a distraction from the solution, he said.
Amos uses watermelons as his metaphor for life and sees them as a fun and inspirational reminder to live life to the fullest.
Lindsey Ashley, a freshman in French, and Tamar Hemme, a freshman in nutrition, admitted they came to hear Amos mainly for the free cookies.
Amos’ goofy antics intrigued both girls, and Hemme even bought his book.
Amos’ newest book, “The Cookie Never Crumbles: Practical Recipes for Everyday Living,” includes both cooking recipes and life recipes. Amos uses his own life examples to offer advice about how to handle life.
“I thought it was a recipe book,” Hemme said. “It’s got some recipes, and I’m going to get his autograph in it. It’s like his biography mixed with some advice.”
Amos also incorporated other books in his speech and used them as additional tools to inspire his audience.
He read the children’s book “The Crayon Box That Talks,” a story about a box of individual crayons which need to learn the value of teamwork.
“We are a box of crayons,” the book states. “Each one of us unique, but when we get together the picture is complete.”
Amos told his audience one of the major keys to success is always to work as a team and never consider the individual over the group.