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GREENSBORO — A police officer stops a car for speeding, gets out to investigate and finds the vehicle occupied by three mascots — a two and two zeros.

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Perplexed, he radios for help: "I need some backup."

When another officer arrives, he surveys the scene and passes the buck: "Whatever it is, it's out of my jurisdiction."

What is it? A scene from http://www.approaching200.com .

That's the new Web site that features three television commercials promoting Greensboro's bicentennial celebration.

"It's really a teaser start to the campaign," said Gail Murphy , a public relations volunteer for the Greensboro Bicentennial Commission , the group putting on the city's 200th birthday bash this year. "We saw it and loved it."

The other ads show the mascots (only the 2 has hands) hitchhiking after their car breaks down and stopped at a service station where the zeros try to operate a vending machine.

Shot in early November , the ads feature local actors.

One of the print ads shows one of the zeros coming from the restroom trailing toilet paper from its shoe.

"It was a fun way to bring awareness to people that Greensboro was having a bicentennial," said Todd Kinley , president of Crobar Creative Leverage , the Greensboro company that came up with the idea for the mascots and the ads.

"The campaign is their travels to get here."

Ads have already begun to appear on local television stations and billboards, and will show up in newspapers later this month.

A second series will begin in March , when the bicentennial officially begins.

The mascots, whose costumes cost about $8,500, could make their first public appearance next week.

Kinley says he's never seen mascots that were digits.

"They get in awkward situations because of their awkward shapes," he said. "We wanted this to be appealing to everyone."

There are two sets of costumes, so the mascots —they don't speak, and their faces can't be seen — can appear at two events at the same time. They'll be used at bicentennial events and at schools and sporting events.

Bicentennial organizers already have lined up four teams of mascots.

"They are your average, next-door Greensboro neighbor," said Jaclyn Moore , who oversees the mascots. "We've found many volunteers who are willing to step into these costumes in cold weather, warm weather, indoors or out."

And she'd like to find more.

Unfortunately, not everybody can be a mascot .

Volunteers must not exceed 6 feet tall or weigh more than 185 pounds.

So what do we call these mascots?

"They don't really have a name," Moore said. "It is pretty abstract. We just call them 200."

Call Donald W. Patterson at 373-7027 or don.patterson@news-record.com