Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus, and giant ostriches have all made appearances at campaign rallies leading up to today’s New Hampshire primary as charities and special-interest groups vie for the attention of presidential contenders, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Because so many people fight to get candidates’ attention for pet issues, wacky gimmicks often work best. Representatives of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals dressed in pink pig costumes to promote a tax on meat, and Frosty and Santa showed up to draw attention to global warming.

A group founded by two recent college graduates, Students for Saving Social Security, has handed out T-shirts, held pizza and keg parties, and rented ostrich costumes to shame candidates for “sticking their heads in the sand” about Social Security.

See The Chronicle’s article on how nonprofit leaders are confronting the candidates on the issues.