Some people buy old work vans because they're practical.
Parker Williams bought one because he wanted to turn it into a giant dog.
The 20-year-old Powell resident was scrolling through ideas one day when inspiration struck — "randomly," he told Cowboy State Daily.
His favorite movie has always been the 1993 comedy "Dumb and Dumber," starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. More specifically, he's always loved the hopelessly optimistic duo of Lloyd Christmas (Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Daniels).
"I wanted to make something outstanding," Williams said. "Something affordable and cool."
So why not recreate one of the most recognizable movie vehicles ever built?
He found an old electrical van "for cheap," recruited his best friend Seth Siebert, and over about three days transformed the $3,000 van into a shaggy, four-legged tribute to the 1994 comedy.
A Powell man who built a "Dumb And Dumber" Mutt Cutts van replica with his best friend says it turns heads everywhere they drive it in the Bighorn Basin. "I basically had to shampoo the whole thing," he said about cleaning it up. "It was a nightmare." (Parker Williams via YouTube) 
A Powell man who built a "Dumb And Dumber" Mutt Cutts van replica with his best friend says it turns heads everywhere they drive it in the Bighorn Basin. "I basically had to shampoo the whole thing," he said about cleaning it up. "It was a nightmare." (Parker Williams via YouTube) 
A Powell man who built a "Dumb And Dumber" Mutt Cutts van replica with his best friend says it turns heads everywhere they drive it in the Bighorn Basin. "I basically had to shampoo the whole thing," he said about cleaning it up. "It was a nightmare." (Parker Williams via YouTube)
Built For Laughs
Williams spends much of his free time filming YouTube videos with friends. The van was simply another ambitious project for his channel.
Building it, he said, was more complicated than he expected.
The hardest part was making the giant dog roadworthy.
The pair spent hours wiring custom headlights and blinkers so it could legally travel Wyoming roads.
"It took way more carpet than I thought," Williams said with a laugh.
Constructing the oversized nose was a challenge, too. Hidden beneath the carpet is a framework built from 2x4s and plywood.
After finishing, Williams even drove it to the Powell Police Department, where officers conducted an inspection.
He says it passed, and the furry creation is completely street legal.
Somewhat disappointingly, Williams added, he still hasn't been pulled over.
The Mutt Cutts van earned its place in movie history when Christmas and Dunne are pulled over because a state trooper suspects they've been drinking while driving.
Trying to be helpful, Lloyd hands the officer what he thinks is an open beer. Instead, it's a bottle containing Harry's urine, which Harry had been saving because they had been driving long stretches without stopping.
The trooper takes a swig before realizing what it is, spits it out, and — so disgusted — lets the pair go without pursuing the stop further.
Instant Celebrity
"It gets every reaction possible," Williams said. Most are overwhelmingly positive.
Everywhere he goes, strangers stop him for photos, ask questions and smile.
Williams recently drove it as far as Minnesota for a CboysTV car show, where it drew crowds despite sharing space with far more expensive builds.
"My mother is not super fond of it," he joked.
The biggest issue, he explained, isn't the attention.
"It's really just having it in her garage all the time,” he said.
Bad weather presents another challenge.
An 8,000-pound carpeted dog doesn't perform well when wet.
Williams recalled getting the van hopelessly stuck before spending hours cleaning off the mud.
"I basically had to shampoo the whole thing," he said. "It was a nightmare."
Parker Williams, 20, right, poses proudly in front of his Mutt Cutts van. Williams wanted to make the iconic movie van for his YouTube channel. (Provided Photos) 
"I wanted to make something outstanding," said Parker Williams. "Something affordable and cool." (Provided Photo)
Best Friends
When Williams first pitched the idea roughly two years ago, his best friend didn't hesitate.
"Sure, sounds fun," Siebert remembers saying.
The two had recently graduated from high school and were simply looking for something memorable to do.
"Parker is about as good a friend as you can have," Siebert said.
When they aren't filming YouTube videos, the pair likes working on trucks, mudding in the woods and dreaming up their next adventure.
Siebert has been tinkering in garages for as long as he can remember, helping his father with projects.
Mechanics, he said, remain more of a hobby than anything else.
Helping build a giant dog just happened to be one of the more unusual ones.
Siebert says some of his favorite moments have come while pulling through McDonald's drive-thrus.
"It's just cool seeing people's reactions," he said. "Them just working a normal shift and seeing some big dog come through."
The friends are already brainstorming their next outrageous project.
Whatever it is, Siebert doubts the Mutt Cutts van is going anywhere.
He figures it's destined to remain exactly where it spends much of its downtime today.
Parker's mother's garage.
Forever.
More Comedy
For Wyoming movie lover Kelly Eastes, none of this is surprising.
Eastes serves as Film Casper liaison for Visit Casper, helping connect filmmakers with locations, local resources and production support throughout central Wyoming.
He remembers "Dumb and Dumber" well.
"It seems like comedies are rarer nowadays," Eastes said. "It would be nice to have more of them."
Directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly, the film debuted at No. 1 at the North American box office during its opening weekend and eventually earned nearly $250 million worldwide, becoming one of the defining comedies of the '90s.
More than 30 years later, Eastes believes the film continues to resonate because good stories outlive generations.
"They resonate because multiple generations understand them," he said. "I believe that the way we connect, even generationally, is through stories and films. Storytelling has been our way of educating the youth for as long as we've been on the planet."
That's why he isn't surprised two young Wyoming men who weren't even born when the movie premiered would re-create one of its most recognizable props.
Along with a lot of mindless fun, the Mutt Cutts van project also has prompted Williams to do some deep soul searching.
After checking in on some of his high school classmates and what they're doing in their young adult lives, Williams compared those achievements to making a shaggy dog van.
“I don’t know if that means I’m majorly failing in life or I don’t have my priorities right," he mused in a YouTube video while building the van.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
