About - Meet Howard and Tenzen

Meet Howard and Tenzen

ASK-Solutions deals with technical subjects that can look intimidating from the outside: repairs, infrastructure, electronics, and the practical realities of ownership and control. Our mascots Howard and Tenzen, give our work a recognisable, human-friendly face. They help signal the tone we aim for in the workshop and in our publications: curious, hands-on, and welcoming to people who are still learning.

They are also part of our public identity. You will see them used in announcements, workshop communication, seasonal messages, and project-related material where a consistent visual marker helps people recognise that something comes from us. For press and media use, think of Howard and Tenzen as brand identifiers: official visuals can be used for accurate identification in editorial coverage, while adaptations or “inspired-by” variants are treated as permission-based use.

One foundation, two voices

Howard and Tenzen represent two sides of the foundation that belong together. Howard is the steady, practical “let’s fix it” presence: patient, methodical, and focused on making things work again. Tenzen brings experimentation and creative energy: trying ideas, building prototypes, and exploring what is possible without waiting for permission. Different temperament, same direction.

Together they give a clear, recognisable face to what ASK-Solutions does in practice: repair where you can, learn as you go, and share what works so others can build on it. Below you can find their individual stories and appearances, including the seasonal variants that show up in our announcements and community communication.

Howard

Howard is the original mascot of ASK-Solutions, and he has been part of our identity for many years. He is not a “character for decoration only”. Howard is how we signal what kind of organisation we are: practical, curious, and built around helping people understand how things work, so they can keep them working.

Personality-wise, Howard is the steady presence. He is the one who stays calm when something fails, who prefers a good question over a quick opinion, and who treats repair as a normal part of ownership. He stands for patient problem-solving, sharing what you learn, and making room for others to try; whether someone is experienced, or holding a tool again for the first time in a long while.

You will also see Howard show up in seasonal variants in our communication. That is part of the same idea: the foundation is serious about its work, but not cold. Howard helps us keep our tone approachable, recognisable, and human; without losing the technical focus underneath.

Tenzen

Tenzen is the second official mascot of ASK-Solutions. He joined later, at a point where our work was expanding in two directions at once: deeper technical projects on the one hand, and more public-facing communication on the other. Tenzen gives that second side a clear identity: creative, energetic, and unafraid to try something that is not yet “standard”.

Where Howard represents the steady craft of maintenance and repair, Tenzen represents experimentation and making. He is the one who wants to test an idea, build a prototype, or take a project into unfamiliar territory to see what is possible. That does not mean reckless. It means curious and hands-on: learning by doing, documenting decisions, and improving step by step until something works reliably.

Tenzen is also closely associated with our more playful and design-heavy work, including projects that mix engineering with aesthetics. He brings a slightly different voice to the same underlying values: independence, user control, and the confidence to fix and build without needing permission. Together, Howard and Tenzen cover the full spectrum of what ASK-Solutions tries to be: competent and welcoming, practical and inventive.

How Howard and Tenzen are connected

Howard and Tenzen belong together. In our mascot story, Tenzen is Howard’s nephew: a newer face next to a familiar one, bringing a slightly different energy to the same foundation values. Their relationship also has a practical origin. When Howard needed a car repaired and restored, he did what he always does when something matters: he went to someone who knows their craft. He flew to his nephew in Japan to ask for help, and Tenzen ended up becoming part of the story; and thereby, part of our public identity.

Tenzen’s Japanese roots are reflected in his name, appearance, and the visual cues we sometimes use around him. That is not a costume or a stereotype. It connects to the background we developed as projects like Bozuki brought more automotive culture, design, and experimentation into our work. Howard remains the steady, repair-first presence; Tenzen adds the creative “let’s try it” side. Different tone, same direction.

Clippy as a recurring guest

Clippy occasionally shows up next to Howard and Tenzen as a recurring guest. We use him as a light but pointed reminder of what we mean by freedom: tools that help the user, without extracting data, locking you in, or nudging you into someone else’s business model. Our running line is: “We love Clippy! Although he’s annoying, he doesn’t want your data, take away your rights or sell you anything, he only wants to help.” The wider context is the “Clippy simply wanted to help” moment Louis Rossmann sparked in summer 2025; see Louis Rossmann’s original Clippy video and the Consumer Rights Wiki overview of the Clippy campaign for background.

Seasonal variants

Over the years, Howard and Tenzen have also appeared in a few seasonal variants. These are the versions you may have seen around holidays and special moments: a small visual “hello” that fits the time of year, without changing who they are. The variants are used mainly in announcements and community-facing communication, and they are part of how we keep the tone warm and recognisable while still staying focused on the work.

Easter Bunny

For Easter, Howard occasionally shows up as the Easter Bunny. It is a light seasonal variant, used around spring announcements and workshop messages. The theme fits him: after winter, things restart. New projects begin, repairs move again, and the workshop fills up with people trying something for the first time. Howard “celebrates” that moment by focusing on what he always stands for: helping others get started, sharing small skills, and giving newcomers the confidence to take the first step.

Friendly ghost

The “friendly ghost” is our Halloween variant, and yes, it is part of the Howard-and-Tenzen lore. On the surface it is just a bedsheet and familiar eyes and shape, but that is exactly the point: it is a disguise that could be either of them. In the story, they both claim it was the other one. Howard insists Tenzen started it. Tenzen insists Howard had the idea first. Either way, the result is the same: a playful reminder that the workshop is not only about tools and tasks, but also about being at ease, having a laugh, and showing up even when you do not feel like being “in the spotlight”.

Saint Howard

“Saint Howard” is our Sint Nicolaas variant, tied to the patron day of Saint Nicholas of Myra. It fits Howard’s character: quiet help, practical care, and small gestures that make someone’s day easier. Not as a performance, but as a habit. In this variant, the “gifts” are often deliberately modest: something useful, something repaired, something that helps a project move forward again. Tenzen jokes that Howard treats Sint Nicolaas like a maintenance schedule. Howard does not deny it.

Christmas Howard

“Christmas Howard”, also known as the Christmas Owl, is our winter variant. It marks the darker months and what matters then: light, steadiness, and showing up for each other. In this form, Howard focuses on making the workshop and office feel warm and welcoming; small decorations, a ready table, and a calm place where people can land for a moment. The message is simple: a little light helps, and a shared place helps even more.

Role-based variants

Alongside the seasonal variants, we also use a small set of role-based versions of Howard. These are not “extra characters”. They are visual shorthand: a recognisable way to signal what a message is about and how to read it. You will see specific variants used consistently for workshop and making, service interruptions and maintenance, explanations and guides, and longer documents. That consistency helps visitors (and press) recognise our communication across projects and channels, even when the topic shifts.

Howard the Builder

Workshop and making

Howard the Builder is the workshop variant you will see most often at The Owl’s Nest and around our hands-on work. It signals “we’re making and fixing things”: tools on the table, materials in progress, and the kind of practical learning that happens when you take something apart, understand it, and put it back together properly. This depiction of Howard stands for craft, patience, and doing the work step by step. So people can build skills, gain confidence, and keep their equipment working instead of treating failure as the end of the story.

Broken Wings

Service interruptions and maintenance

Broken Wings is the variant we use when something is temporarily not working as intended: a service interruption, planned maintenance, or a website in maintenance mode. It is our way of signalling status without drama. Something is down, we are working on it, and updates will follow. In the story it fits Howard’s character too: you do not pretend nothing happened, you diagnose, you fix what is fixable, and you get things back into the air; carefully, and properly.

Book Worm

Documents, reports, and longer reads

Book Worm Howard is the variant we use for publications and material that is meant to be read carefully: reports, documents, background pieces, and longer write-ups. It signals a different pace, more a “let’s understand what is going on, and write it down clearly so others can use it”. In that role, Howard stands for clarity, reuse, and taking the time to turn experience into something that can be shared and built on.

Mr. Howard

Explanations and guides

Mr. Howard is the “teacher” variant: the one with the pointer, used when we are explaining something rather than just showing it. You will mostly see him in videos and guides where we highlight a step, a warning, or a detail that people tend to miss—like where to click, what to check, or what a term actually means in practice. In that role, Howard stands for clear instruction without talking down: practical context, small steps, and the confidence that comes from understanding what you are doing.