Surprise encounter! E.T. makes a visit to Main Street, thanks to local snow sculptor Brandon Osman

You may have seen it, the frozen bust of an 80s extraterrestrial, sculpted out of snow and left on display in a red milk crate attached to a bicycle outside Jones Drug Store in Northport Village. 

Our very own E.T. on Main Street, thanks to Northport resident Brandon Osman, a self-proclaimed “regular guy trying to sprinkle a bit of magic in the everyday.” 

“The idea with my sculptures is to jostle someone out of their typical daily routine,” Osman told the Journal. “The discovery and surprise aspect of what I am doing is what I really enjoy.  Snow is the perfect medium to be able to innocently install a temporary sculpture somewhere unexpected.” 

Created on February 17, Osman’s E.T. is a different version of a snow sculpture he made over 12 years ago, the first pop character he ever created. “I wanted to do a smaller sculpture this time around, so I thought E.T. in a basket would be perfect,” Osman said. “E.T. is such a relatable character, even though he is from another planet. He is also instantly recognizable, which is what I strive for with my sculptures.”

And recognized it was. Photos of Osman’s E.T. landed on numerous local social media pages, even making it to the popular Instagram account, @longislandwiseguy (it was Osman’s second time this winter on the page’s weekly roundup). 

It’s also not the first time one of Osman’s sculptures went viral; his life-sized sculpture of a masked and frozen Bernie Sanders, sitting crossed-legged on a Northport Village park bench, made the rounds in February of 2021, providing a momentary break of laughter during a long Covid winter. 

A father of two girls, Osman has been making snow sculptures since he was a child himself – for years he’s been delighting his daughters with characters they too can enjoy, from Olaf and other Disney favorites, to the famous Easter Island heads,and  even a food-dyed Grogu. “They’re not your standard snowmen,” Osman told the Journal for a January 2022 article detailing his time at the Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships in Colorado, where he and his team sculpted an 18-foot-tall wooly mammoth. 

But Long Island isn't quite like Colorado, especially in terms of snowfall, and this winter has been a little… lacking in fresh powder. In mid-January, Mother Nature delivered and gave Northport its first significant snowfall of the season, much to Osman’s delight. From it, Osman created the main shape for Gandalf, the protagonist wizard in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels-turned-movies, “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” A few days later, while his children were sledding in the backyard, Osman put the finishing touches on Gandalf, who by then was more like limestone than snow – he had frozen solid, Osman said.  

Satisfied with his work (four to five hours worth), Osman and a few buddies loaded Gandalf the snow sculpture onto the back of a pickup truck, setting him up for passersby to see right on 25A near the Sagamore Hills Stables.  

“The mischievous aspect of dropping the snowman off is very fun for me,” Osman said. With E.T., Osman and his girls, Amelia and Juliet, packed the creature into the car and headed to Northport Village to find a spot where he would be enjoyed by the greatest amount of people. With a bike taking up the car’s trunk, E.T. rode shotgun. The Osmans decided to plant him on the corner of Main and School Street, just west of Jones Drug Store. 

“E.T. is a movie I hold dear to my heart and his character, as with Gandalf, is one that I have loved all my life,” Osman said. “The feeling of wanting to ‘phone home’ or be at home is a feeling that resonates with me (and I think many people in Northport would relate).”

With each sculpture, a childhood affinity for magic is rekindled in Osman. A quiet kid, Osman said he could find a whole new universe in a deck of cards. “Magic was my thing, and it wasn't just about the tricks. It was about telling stories without saying much at all,” Osman said. “I remember heading off to magic school, feeling like I had found my tribe. It was there I learned the real magic wasn't just in the 'abracadabras,’ but in the way you could make someone's day a bit brighter with just a flick of a wand.”

“When I'm working on a sculpture, whether it's out of snow or clay, it feels like I'm back being that magician kid, but this time, my wand's a bit different. I'm not just making something to look at; I'm trying to create a little magic of my own, something that might make someone stop, smile, and wonder, even if it's just for a second.”

Say it ain’t snow: While Osman has been at the mercy of Mother Nature for years, things are about to change. He recently invested in a snow-making machine and hopes to start using it very soon. Stay up-to-date (and see the coolest time-lapse videos of Osman’s process when making E.T.) at @osman_snow_sculptures.