First-Ever Living Times Square Holiday Window Display Courtesy of Dodge

Parents Join College Son to Celebrate Holidays Inside New Durango for Five Days

As if "Reality" TV isnt enough, Dodge is displaying a unique live holiday window in Manhattans Times Square this season. The worlds most famous street corner, at 43rd and Broadway, is noted for its elaborate Christmas displays.

This particular display will be more enticing than most, however, due to an all-new 2004 Dodge Durango sport utility loaded up with enough gear for a family of three to exist for five days... along with the family of three.

The Flanigans, from Ocoee, Florida, have been challenged to make the Durango their home between December 15th and 19th, with the express purpose of showing window shoppers just how much room and overall comfort the domestic SUV offers.

As a background, Dodges latest Durango has grown by about seven inches in length, three inches in height and the same in width, making the 2004 model much more accommodating than its predecessor.

With this in mind the Flanigans have more room to stretch out and enjoy a little family fun. The father, Billy, regularly performs at Walt Disney World, so he shouldnt find living in a fishbowl quite as distressing as Karen, the aerobics instructing mom. Ryan, 19, is a college student - enough said.

"We cant wait," stated Billy Flanigan prior to taking a seat in the display. "This will be a great chance to catch up and spend some quality time together, so we feel were up for the challenge - and I think Id look pretty good driving that Durango."

Come on Billy, theres got to be more to this prank than catching up with the family? As a matter of fact there is. If the Flanigans manage to keep it together and spend all five days inside the window display, Dodge will give them the loaded SUV, valued at more than $36,000.

But thats not all. As a "Christmas bonus," Dodge will also kick in $5,000 for every day the family spends in its Durango, totaling up to $25,000. The only catch is the money goes to a good cause, the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH).

If the Flanigans manage to hold out to day five, Dodge has promised a celebrity guest appearance on December 19th to hand over the Durango keys before presenting a check to the NAEH.

So who dreamed up the idea? While he may not have developed the creative, Darryl Jackson, Vice President of Dodge Marketing, DaimlerChrysler Corporation, definitely signed on the bottom line.

"We thought the Dodge "Living" Holiday Window display would be a fun and unique way to showcase the features of the new Durango and more importantly underscore the importance of the spirit of giving this holiday season," stated Jackson. "We are rooting for the Flanigans to hang in there all five days. They are definitely a family that represents what it means to grab life by the horns."

Will they have to go it alone? No, a little coaching will be offered to help them pull through. First the famed fitness trainer Ellie Krieger will show them ways to keep flexible and active in their limited space, while all along New Yorks exclusive Paladar restaurant head chef, Aaron Sanchez, will prepare their food. It sounds like a great way to get a new SUV and simultaneously benefit a good cause, but a more apropos celebrity visitor might be Dr. Phil to keep them going when the going gets tough.