BLOOMINGTON - A food dehydrator full of reindeer droppings and a "poo party" says "Merry Christmas" for workers at Miller Park Zoo. "It's been crazy wonderful," said Susie Ohley, the zoo's marketing director, on unbelievable demand for $5 holiday ornaments made from dried pellets.

The zoo is getting 75 to 100 calls a day, not counting e-mails, for the "magical reindeer gems."

The zoo sells the ornaments in its gift shop. Customers are limited to two per person, per day - even customers who've driven from as far as St. Louis and Chicago - after an initial Pantagraph story was distributed worldwide by The Associated Press. "We are getting calls from all over the world," said Ohley.

The volunteer ornament-makers can't keep up with demand, although the suppliers are. Ornaments must be purchased in person; no mail orders are accepted.

After a frenzied "poo party" at which volunteer elves made more of the sparkly ornaments, "we sold out (again) in 10 minutes," said Ohley.

About 125 have been sold so far. Some customers have requested as many as 10 or 20. There's a waiting list of more than 100 names.

"Talk about a 'recycle' story - this one is awesome," said volunteer Deanna Frautschi, who hosted one of the ornament-making parties. Volunteers used dried pellets - hence the food dehydrator at Ohley's house - for their artwork.

The reason for buying ornaments varies. Zoo worker Katie Buydos said some callers say the ornaments are for the hunters in the family; others want to give a "piece of home" for Christmas.

"This is beyond our wildest dreams," said Buydos.

The ornament idea sprouted from a story told by zoo director John Tobias, whose Irish grandmother in Kansas supposedly strew chocolate drops around the house to make her children think reindeer visited.