Catherine Conrad

Catherine Conrad experienced the excitement of entertaining others at a very young age, and got hooked. Her parents hosted gatherings weekly while she was growing up. Catherine often helped them entertain their friends and clients, literally, creating characters and comedy routines, assembling costumes, and performing impromptu plays. In school she was always the class clown, partly because she loved to make people laugh, but also to help ease the pain of not fitting in due to a reading disability. The joy of inspiring others to overcome their difficulties and to pursue their dreams became a lifelong passion which led to the creation of Catherine's Banana Lady character along with her monkey puppet sidekick, Spike.

Catherine graduated from Madison Memorial High School in 1977, and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts from California State University Northridge in 1983. She was already dreaming of becoming a children's entertainer when her life changed while she was browsing a Hollywood toy store in the mid-1980s. She spotted an oversized banana costume hanging from the ceiling and felt it was meant to be. The costume fit; she wore it out the door, and her seven foot tall Banana Lady character was born.

A low incoming housing project in Los Angeles gave Catherine a place to try out her new character and concepts while entertaining some of the neighborhood's 1,500 kids. Since the neighborhood was sadly lacking in children's recreational or learning activities, it was a perfect match. She'd show up every Friday afternoon after school in her banana costume, gathering the kids in an empty dirt field for their ritual drill. They would march around the field shouting "We are on the banana team. We learn, have fun and burn off steam! Sound off, one, two; sound off, three, four..." Soon the kids would be ready to start the club activities. Their first project was to build their own clubhouse using found objects and materials donated by local businesses. The kids were proud of their accomplishments and learned valuable skills including drilling, hammering, nailing, sanding and painting. They also planned a project they called the Adventure Exercise Course Run which included a sit-up station, pull-up station and more. Throughout the years the Top Banana Kids would invite neighboring kids, clubs and groups for team races and other fun.

Catherine continues to perform, write books and produce CDs featuring the Banana Lady and Spike. Her first book, The Lemonade Stand, was published in 2008. She has also released two CDs: As Strong As I Can Be in 2007 and Out in My Dreams in 2005. In 2001 she returned to her hometown of Madison, Wisconsin, where she currently resides. She has spent the last decade creating her vision and touring. Her mission is to inspire, motivate, and encourage others to go for their dreams, and to fulfill their own unique potential. She believes that we all deserve to discover the gifts of self-esteem, sound virtues, health, and wellness.