BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Leslie Breedlove is a mom, wife, and career woman, but most know her as 'The Dinosaur Lady.'
"They are fun, they are cool. Everybody loves dinosaurs!" Breedlove said.
With a license plate that roars, she's the driving force behind The Rawrsome Dinosaur House of Broken Arrow.
So when the holidays come around, she goes gigantic. She currently has a "dino-mite" display, where a patriotic pack fills the yard.
"We have Patriotic Percy. A friend donated to a fundraiser for me and picked out a dinosaur named Percy after her child," said Breedlove.
Independence Day is one of six major holidays when she brings her dinosaurs out to play. This dino decorating started with one at Christmas.
"In 2016, when I was walking through Walmart, there was a giant T-rex Christmas dinosaur with a present in its mouth, shaking it back and forth. I never decorated it for the holidays before, but I thought I could get behind that kind of decoration," said Breedlove.
From there, the collection and the number of holidays grew.
"The Spookysaurs are Halloween, and then Saint Patrick's Day, there are the Luckysaurs, around Valentine's Day are the Loveysaurs," said Breedlove.
She estimates she has at least 100 dinosaurs now.
"I always try to get at least one new one for each season, and then I sometimes get them as gifts from people," said Breedlove.
Most are inflatables, but she recently added metal sculptures that roam year-round.
So, why dinosaurs?
"Why not dinosaurs? Jurassic Park was probably the first movie I saw in theaters, so I always liked dinosaurs. As I got older, I thought, why not celebrate the things that make you happy and bring you excitement? It's pretty cool because they bring other people joy and excitement as well," said Breedlove.
When not on a Jurassic joyride, the giant inflatables are organized and stored in the garage.
You'll find the largest herd out at Christmas, and within the last year, Breedlove added holiday lights, too.
The dinosaurs are fun to see day or night. Right now, weather permitting, they're on from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. Breedlove says you're welcome to stop and snap a selfie. Just make sure you do it from the sidewalk to stay safe.
"Please don't walk in the yard. They do have tethers you can trip on. I trip myself regularly, and I know where most of them are. They are hard to see at night," said Breedlove.
She adds this prehistoric passion project is something she'll keep doing in the future.
"I think I will always have dinosaurs in my yard, so I have zero plans to ever move into an H.O.A. One day, I would like to move somewhere with a little bit more land; maybe I could go a little crazier," said Breedlove.
Until then, you'll find the 'Dinosaur Lady' hard at work at the Rawrsome Dinosaur House and dreaming big.
"This is a thing now, and I'm going to have a great time with it. It's been really fun!" said Breedlove.
The latest display will be up through July 7, 2024. Then she'll take a break until Halloween.
The Rawrsome Dinosaur House is located at 500 West Albuquerque Street, Broken Arrow, OK.
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