The new Leslie refrigerator magnets are out.

If you are an Austin resident, present or past, you know who Leslie is. Otherwise you may not know about this individual and how he has become the "Keep Austin Weird" Poster Boy. Or perhaps Poster Girl. Leslie is a person of the streets, a panhandler who hangs out at Congress and 6th Street, wearing outrageous apparel, such as thongs and tu-tus, usually with a padded bra top, a tiara and high heels. When we first encountered Leslie, he had staked out the Albertson's near us and was not quite as colorful, but Austin tends to have an effect on you.

Leslie is often referred to as the Mayor of Austin - in fact, he did actually run for Mayor a few years ago and got a respectable number of votes. Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) said on Letterman one night that she had heard that Leslie was Mayor so often she scoffed when she met the real Mayor (primarily because the real Mayor was wearing jeans and a tee shirt that said "Keep Austin Weird" at the time).

Actually, this is the second year that decorative fridge stickers featuring Leslie will be on the market.

“This year is a holiday version, so he comes complete with his Mrs. Claus outfit and his elf outfit, and egg nog,” said Jimmy Haddox, who owns the Wet Salon on South Congress, and is the man who created the magnets. “It is Leslie, so I’m sure the egg nog would be spiked.”

Leslie gets 20 percent of the wholesale price this year (retail $17.95), Haddox said. Last year, while Leslie only got 15 percent, he still made about $10,000; he did so well he bought himself the largest storage shed that Home Depot had, cut a deal with a woman in South Austin to put the shed in her yard, has furnished the shed and has moved into it.

“He’s got a big wide screen TV in there,” Haddox said. “He’s got a little refrigerator, microwave, stereo system, reclining sofa. He’s living the life.”

Who says the American Dream is no longer obtainable?

And if you really have to know, here's a link to a site that shows last year's magnets. This is a family-oriented blog, so I'm not going to put the picture here. I have some dignity.