Statues « 360Photography

RSS

Posts Tagged ‘Statues’

Easter Island tourists put iconic statues at risk to get nose-picking selfies

21 May

The remote volcanic island Rapa Nui, also called Easter Island, is under threat from tourists seeking a particular variety of images taken with the island’s iconic oversized head statues (moai): nose-picking. The trend is one of multiple types of disrespectful actions taken by tourists who are increasingly violating visitor guidelines, putting the statues at risk.

Easter Island has been a World Heritage Site for more than 20 years and is home to the Rapa Nui National Park. According to UCLA archaeologist Jo Anne Van Tilburg, who has been studying the island for almost 40 years, the number of tourists visiting Easter Island has skyrocketed over the past couple of decades.

Van Tilburg said to Newsweek, ‘In 1981 there were only about 2,500 to 3,000 people living on the island, and the yearly count of visitors was about that number. Today, the island hosts over 150,000 tourists per year.’

Many tourists have engaged in disrespectful behavior toward both the island and its residents, including walking over protected land, on top of graves, and climbing the statues. Some tourists violate these rules to get a picture of themselves picking the nose of one the head statues.

The influx of tourists is described as having ‘a hugely negative impact’ on the island’s natural resources and sense of community. Many tourists have engaged in disrespectful behavior toward both the island and its residents, including walking over protected land, on top of graves, and climbing the statues. Some tourists violate these rules to get a picture of themselves picking the nose of one the head statues.

Van Tilburg has called for greater efforts to protect the island and its history, telling Newsweek:

We all need to step up, whether scientist or tourist, and do our fair share to preserve the past. Tourists can study and learn before they travel to the island. They can show proper respect for others. They can remove their egos—and their selfie sticks—from the landscape and learn to appreciate the past.

Sadly, other popular protected destinations also face damage and destruction from tourists, particularly those seeking images to post on Instagram. Last year, for example, New Zealand officials revealed plans to place warning signs around the iconic Lake Wanaka Tree due to the damage it has suffered from people climbing on it.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Santa Claustrophobia: The World’s Creepiest Santa Statues

05 Dec

[ By Steve in Culture & History & Travel. ]

santa-statue-1c

The ho-ho-horror! Much like creepy clowns, these dark and disturbing Santa Claus statues cross the fine line separating awe-inspiring and just plain awful.

santa-statue-1b

One would think the bizarre concept of a “Santa Monroe” would be shot down in flames seconds after multiple shocked gasps echoed ’round the conference table. Against all odds, however, the plan was approved and an inflatable, grimacing, pants-less Santa standing roughly 20-feet-tall took his place outside a shopping center in Dongguan, China. We’d make a “Dong-guan” joke here but you probably already have.

santa-statue-1d

Like Marilyn Monroe’s iconic pose above a subway grate in 1955 film The Seven-Year Itch, Santa’s long red coat appears to be blown upwards by an unseen wind, revealing what should remain unseen to the public at large. We’re figuring the designers took a leap of faith when they gave Ol’ Saint Nick a set of coal-black briefs. To be fair, it’s not as if there was any precedent to guide them. Don’t place all the blame on China though: the idea seems to have been co-opted by someone who embellished the concept further by adding a rather risque garter belt. Nice… and naughty.

Texas-Sized Santa

santa-statue-2a

In 1953, Jack Bridges, designer of those iconic “Big Tex” statues, was commissioned to create a one-of-kind Santa statue for Dallas auto dealer Porter Chevrolet. The result: an 85-ft-long, 56-ft-tall papier mache Santa that was so large and unwieldy it had to be trucked to the site in pieces. Yes, that’s a real 1954 Chevy Bel-Air Santa’s clutching in his Texas-sized hands. There’s a tragic twist to this tale: area resident Roy Davis, 46, arranged a crane to lift him eye-level with Santa so he could snap a Christmas card photo – a very early selfie, one might say. Like too many modern selfies, Davis’ effort ended badly when he suffered a fatal heart attack and plummeted to the pavement, landing right between Santa’s boots.

Fingered Down Under

santa-statue-4a

santa-statue-4b

Auckland, New Zealand’s seasonal claim to creepy fame comes in the form of a 5-ton, 60-ft-tall semi-animatronic Santa statue who’s been affixed to the corner of the Whitcoull’s book store on Queen Street since 1960. The creepy factor derives from the statue’s only two moving parts: a winking right eye and a beckoning index finger. Brrr!

santa-statue-4c

santa-statue-4d

Sadly (for some), in 2014 the $ 180,000 annual expense required to keep Santa creeping folks out was deemed overly exorbitant. Santa’s been lingering – in pieces – in an Auckland warehouse since then. Anyone who misses Kiwi Santa’s slo-mo winking and fingering – you know who you are – can relive the trauma via this video.

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Santa Claustrophobia The Worlds Creepiest Santa Statues

[ By Steve in Culture & History & Travel. ]

[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]

WebUrbanist

Comments Off

Posted in Creativity

Still Standing Tall: 7 Monumental Statues of the Ancient World

28 Sep

[ By SA Rogers in 7 Wonders Series & Travel. ]

ancient-statues-easter-island-2

Perhaps we’ll never know what it was like land on a Greek Island and gaze up at the long-lost Colossus of Rhodes, one of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but there are many other amazingly old monumental statues still standing. From the world’s oldest-known colossal sculpture in the sands of Egypt to a 500-year-old mountain god spewing water and smoke in Italy, these 7 wonders take the human figure (and sometimes, human/animal hybrids) to incredible heights.

Leshan Giant Buddha, China

ancient-statues-leshan-giant-buddha

Carved right out of a cliff face at the confluence of three rivers in the southern Sichuan province of China, the Leshan Giant Buddha stands 233 feet tall from its plinth to the top of its head, making it the largest stone Buddha in the world. Construction began in the year 713, led by a Chinese monk named Hai Tong, who dedicated it to calming the often-rough waters for shipping vessels. He was so dedicated to the project, he reportedly gauged his own eyes out when funding was threatened. But after his death, the money ran out, and construction was stalled for 70 years before his disciples breathed new life into the project. In the end, Hai Tong’s wishes were fulfilled: all the rock that was chipped away from the cliff face fell into the water below, altering the currents and making them safe for passing ships. Today, it’s part of the UNESCO-protected Mount Emei Scenic Area, which also includes 1,000-year-old trees and over 30 temples.

Moai of Easter Island

ancient-statues-easter-island

ancient-statues-easter-island-2

Carved by the Rapa Nui people between 1250 and 1500 C.E., the Moai monolithic human figures of Easter Island all feature massively oversized heads, with the largest measuring 33 feet in height. The heaviest one is shorter but squatter, weighing in at 86 tons. Exactly how the statues were made and transported is still somewhat of a mystery, as the tallest would have measured 69 feet in height if it had ever been completed. While many people erroneously call them the ‘Easter Island Heads,’ they’re actually full bodies, often partially buried beneath the soil with intentionally exaggerated proportions. More than 900 of them have been located on the island, and most of them are made from a compressed volcanic ash. Their empty eye sockets once held eyes made of coral with pupils made of black obsidian or red scoria.

Appennine Colossus, Italy

ancient-statues-colossus

ancient-statues-appennine-colossus

The youngest statue on this list is notable not just for its striking looks, but the fact that it contains several hidden rooms hiding the cool functions that bring it to life. Carved in the late 1500s by Italian sculptor Giambologna as a symbol of Italy’s Apennine Mountains, the ‘mountain god’ stands 35 feet tall over the grounds of the Villa di Pratolino in Tuscany. One of its interior rooms enables water to pass out of the monster in the god’s hand, which pours like a fountain into the body of water below, and another holds a fireplace so smoke can emerge from his nostrils.

Tirthankara Jain Sculptures of India

ancient-statues-tirthankara

ancient-statues-tirthankara-2

ancient-statues-tirthankara-3

The Jain sculptures in Gwalior, an important city in Madhya Pradesh, India, are cut into the rock faces leading up to the 8th century Gwalior fort. Dating back to the 15th century, the statues depict Tirthankaras, or Teaching Gods, which are worshipped by followers of Jainism. 21 temples are cut into the rock on the southern side, with the tallest idol at 58 feet representing Rishabhanatha or Adinatha, the first Tirthankara.

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Still Standing Tall 7 Monumental Statues Of The Ancient World

[ By SA Rogers in 7 Wonders Series & Travel. ]

[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]

WebUrbanist

Comments Off

Posted in Creativity

Staggering Statues: 7 Monumental Wonders of the Former Soviet Union

14 Sep

[ By SA Rogers in 7 Wonders Series & Travel. ]

motherland calls statue

Nobody could ever accuse the Soviets of being too modest in the scale of their monuments and colossal sculptures, and they left no shortage of absolutely bonkers concrete and stone creations all over their former territories. In addition to their strange yet beautiful sculptural rural bus stops and all of abstract alien-like monuments they constructed in what was once Yugoslavia, the Soviets took pride in erecting colossal figurative statues that range from awe-inspiring to downright scary.

The Motherland Calls, Volgograd, Russia

motherland calls statue 2

motherland calls statue 3
The tallest statue of a woman in the world when pedestals aren’t counted in total height, The Motherland Calls stands 279 feet from the top of its plinth to the tip of its sword, positioned on a hill near Mamayev Kurgan, Volgograd. In 1967, when it was dedicated, it was the tallest statue in the world, period. Built to commemorate the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest clashes in human history, the statue is quite beautiful, but that elegant pose and the jaunty angle of the sword have proven to be a structural concern thanks to shifts in groundwater beneath it. Conservation work began in 2010 to ensure that the 7,900-ton creation remains upright despite not being fixed to its plinth.

Monument of the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship, Turna Hill, Bulgaria

monument bulgarian friendship

monument bulgarian friendship 2
The blocky, cubist style of the figures on The Monument of the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship is certainly distinctive, shared by a number of other Bulgarian monuments built in the same era (including the strikingly beautiful and bizarrely Transformer-like Shumen Monument). Unsurprisingly, the Russian soldiers on the right half of the monument stand taller than those of Bulgaria. Erected on Turna Hill, a historic battleground and the mass grave of soldiers lost to the Russian-Ottoman War, the monument was once covered in bronze elements that were quickly stripped and scrapped when the Soviet Union disbanded, and it’s been abandoned ever since. It’s made of over 10,000 tons of concrete and 1,000 tons of armature wire and was intended to be the end of a grand Communist boulevard that was never built.

Colossal Courage, Belarus

belarus courage

belarus courage 2
A stern stone soldier seemingly pops his colossal head out of a mound of stone to frown down at passersby visiting the ruins of Brest Fortress in Belarus, where the Red Army stubbornly held for days against a surprise Nazi attack in 1941 despite being dramatically outnumbered. A writer at CNN called the statue ugly and said it looked constipated back in 2010, and the nation of Belarus responded with outrage, noting that ‘Courage’ is a memorial to those who died. While most monuments in former Soviet territories are disused and sometimes disowned at this point, ‘Courage’ and Brest Fortress are a major point of pride for Belarus and remain a significant tourist attraction.

Superhero-Style Astronaut Sculpture, Moscow, Russia

yuri gagarin statue

yuri gagarin statue 2

Yuri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut and the first man in space, gets a superhero-style commemoration in the form of a 40-foot-tall titanium statue seemingly ready to shoot off into the sky. Erected on Moscow’s Leninsky Avenue in 1980, not far from Lenin’s own mausoleum, the statue features a 90-foot granite pedestal. Gagarin’s first-ever trip to outer space lasted only 108 minutes, and though he escaped death as a backup cosmonaut for the ill-fated Soyuz-1 in 1967, he ultimately died during a routine training flight in 1968. His ashes are embedded into the wall of the Kremlin of Red Square in Moscow.

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Staggering Statues 7 Monumental Wonders Of The Former Soviet Union

[ By SA Rogers in 7 Wonders Series & Travel. ]

[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]

WebUrbanist

Comments Off

Posted in Creativity

Presidential Graveyard: 43 Colossal Statues Crumble in a Field

26 Mar

[ By Steph in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]

Drone footage of abandoned president statues

Nearly every single President of the United States, from George Washington through George W. Bush, sits in a dead field in Virginia, some with the tops of their heads blown off or streaks of dirt streaming down their cheeks, looking rather war-torn. Stark white and silent, they wait for what will likely be their ultimate fate: total destruction. The 43 crumbling statues were saved from demolition after the closure of Presidents Park in Williamsburg, Virginia in 2010, and now drone footage has captured them in their current state of purgatory.

Screen Shot 2016-03-25 at 8.28.20 AM

Screen Shot 2016-03-25 at 8.51.30 AM

A man named Howard Hankins was reportedly tasked with destroying the statues when the park shut down after six years in operation, and couldn’t bear to go through with it. He had them moved – at a cost of $ 50,000 – to his farm in the small town of Croaker, about ten miles away. Most of the damage to the twenty-foot-tall statues was sustained during the move. The field is private property and not open to visitors, but Hankins did allow one drone operator access to take this stunning video.

Screen Shot 2016-03-25 at 8.28.27 AM

Weighing up to 20,000 pounds each, the statues were a challenge to relocate. The tops of the their heads had to be cracked so a crane could hook onto the metal frame inside each one to move them, and some sustained neck damage as they were lifted. Once in place, they continued to peel and crack. Ronald Reagan bears the scars of being hit by lightning.

Screen Shot 2016-03-25 at 8.33.38 AM

Their presence in the field is a bit eerie, especially when the landscape is icy, as captured by photographer David Ogden of Abandoned Earth. It’s hard not to see them in a post-apocalyptic light, imagining them crumbling to dust as a symbol of a culture destined to fall – our version of the ruins of Rome. But at this rate, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be around much longer. An attempt to raise funds to preserve them hasn’t mustered any more enthusiasm than the Presidents Park did when it was a tourist attraction tucked behind a motel, too far from Williamsburg’s more popular sights.

[ By Steph in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]

[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]

WebUrbanist

Comments Off

Posted in Creativity

Color Me Patriotic: Ukraine’s Painted Lenin Statues

16 Nov

[ By Steve in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

painted-lenin-statue-0

As the Ukraine strives to break free from all things Russian, some unlikely allies – Soviet-era statues of Lenin – have been enlisted to wave the flag.

painted-lenin-statue-1a

painted-lenin-statue-1b

painted-lenin-statue-1c

Or “wear” the flag, as the case may be, and the easiest way to do that is by liberally (pun intended) applying blue and yellow – the colors of the Ukrainian flag – to bronze tarnished by decades of weathering. Lenin, as depicted above in Nikopol, wouldn’t be caught dead sporting such an ensemble back in the day. Not to worry, it wasn’t long before nationalistic protesters with plenty of rope put Dayglo Vlad out of his misery.

Siberian Breakfast Club

painted-lenin-statue-2a

painted-lenin-statue-2b

Not all Ukrainian-themed Lenin statues are in the Ukraine, mind you… take the above hastily colorized example from Novosibirsk, a city of 1.5 million in southwestern Siberia. According to a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty report carried by KyivPost, “Authorities in Novosibirsk say suspects accused of painting the colors of the Ukrainian flag on a monument to Lenin in the Russian city have been detained.” Hey, at least they didn’t tape his butt cheeks together.

Hail Stylin’!

painted-lenin-statue-3a

painted-lenin-statue-3b

Back in Kiev, however, anyone wanting to Ukrainianize a Lenin statue need not fear the police though a fear of heights would be a hindrance. The stylish statue above displays all the marks of an unhurried artist – ol’ Vlad looks dapper enough to work at IKEA!

Party Chair Man

painted-lenin-statue-7c

painted-lenin-statue-7d

painted-lenin-statue-7

painted-lenin-statue-7e

You don’t see many “Seated Lenin” statues like the one above, located in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. There’s no rest for the wicked, however, and the Communist icon’s relaxed pose just made things easier for those wanting to make a political statement in blue and yellow spray paint.

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Color Me Patriotic Ukraines Painted Lenin Statues

[ By Steve in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]

WebUrbanist

Comments Off

Posted in Creativity

Ghost Church: Creepy Statues Invade Abandoned Czech Chapel

11 Sep

[ By Steph in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

ghost church 1

If you just happen to stumble upon the dilapidated St. George’s Church in the Czech Republic, passing through the crumbling entrance to glance around at the shadowy interior, you might just be in for the most terrifying moment of your life. Abandoned since the 1960s, the church has long since been devoid of human worshippers, but that doesn’t mean it’s empty. Ghostly shrouded figures line its pews, some hovering in doorways and in the aisles.

ghsot church 4

Located in the northwestern Bohemia town of Luková, the ‘Church of Nine Ghosts’ first fell into disrepair after the ceiling caved in during a funeral service in 1968. Locals took that as a bad omen, and boarded up the 14th century structure, holding services outside instead. But many residents saw the church as an important part of the town’s history, and wanted to see it restored.

ghost church 2

ghost church 3

“The figures represent the ghosts of Sudeten Germans who lived in Lukova before World War Two and who came to pray at this church every Sunday,” says artist Jakub Hadrava, who was commissioned to create the installation. “I hope to show the world that this place had a past and it was a normal part of everyday life, but that fate has a huge influence on our lives.”

ghost church 5

Made of plaster, the ghosts were put in place over the summer of 2014 in the hopes of drawing more tourists to the region, raising money to rehabilitate the historic 1352 church. The plan worked, as people have come from all over the world to see the statues in this unusual environment, and the church will soon be restored to its former glory.

[ By Steph in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]

WebUrbanist

Comments Off

Posted in Creativity

Scattered Marbles: 10 Smashed, Bashed & Trashed Statues

06 Jul

[ By Steve in Culture & History & Travel. ]

smashed statues

As our age’s great and powerful leaders rise and fall, so do the narcissistic, now Ozymandias-like statues they raised to celebrate their fleeting triumph.

Duck, Gaddafi

smashed statue Gaddafi Libya

The 2011 Libyan Revolution was characterized by the release of pent-up hatred against the country’s long-time leader, Muammar Gaddafi. As with most megalomaniacal dictators, Gaddafi diligently promulgated a cult of personality during his four decades at the helm and left the country chock-a-block with self-laudatory statues and monuments.

smashed statue Gaddafi Libya U.S fighter plane sculpture

One of the most famous/infamous was the gargantuan golden Fist Crushing a U.S. Fighter Plane sculpture once located in the elite Bab al-Azizia compound in Tripoli. This sculpture and many others depicting Gaddafi personally were damaged, defaced and destroyed in the wake of Gaddafi’s downfall.

Falling Star

smashed statue China Monroe

Even non-political leaders deemed worthy of statutory immortality find themselves down in the dumps… in this case, a trash dump in the Chinese city of Guigang. Once the tallest Marilyn Monroe statue in the world, the 8.18-meter (26.84-ft) tall painted stainless steel statue had stood proudly within the grounds of a local business center since the end of 2013. Monroe’s reign lasted a mere six months, however, and in June of 2014 the statue was unceremoniously knocked off its footings, chained to a flatbed truck, and hauled to the city dump.

Lenin Towers

smashed statue Lenin Ukraine

smashed statues Lenin Ukraine

smashed Lenin statues Ukraine 2014

Ukraine not weak, nor are the bolts fastening hundreds of statues of Lenin to their plinths so what happened when an irresistible force met these unmovable objects? Hundreds of Lenins leaned, then fell, all across Ukraine’s vast territory in early 2014 as tensions between pro-EU and pro-Russian activists reached a fever pitch. What may have been most surprising was that hundreds of statues of Lenin still stood in Ukraine in early 2014!

Trash Mountain Or Bust

smashed mannequin Trash Mountain New Delhi

New Delhi, India produces 9,200 tons of waste daily and with no effective plan even in the discussion stage, that amount is expected to double by 2024. So, where does it all go? Much ends up in “Trash Mountain”, a 300 – 400m (about 1,150 ft) long and 40m (130 ft) high dynamic dump in the district of Ghazipur. Anything and everything from dinner scraps to the shattered mannequin above ends up on Trash Mountain, there to be picked over by crows, wild dogs, innumerable flies and an army of human “rag pickers”.

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Scattered Marbles 10 Smashed Bashed Trashed Statues

[ By Steve in Culture & History & Travel. ]

[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]

WebUrbanist

Comments Off

Posted in Creativity

Peking Yuck: The 9 Worst Statues In China

07 Jul

[ By Steve in Global & Travel & Places. ]

China's worst statues
These 9 Chinese statues are so awful, many were demolished within days of their unveiling after enduring scorn and ridicule by the People’s Republic’s people.

The Brylcreem Buddha of Luoyang

Luoyang entrepreneur Buddha golden statue (images via: Sh.People.com and News Hefei)

In April of 2013, citizens of Luoyang in east-central China’s Henan province were excited about the soon-to-open Hualong Amusement Park with an enormous gold-toned Buddha statue at its heart. Imagine the shocked silence when the covers came off the statue, revealing what incredulous netizens quickly dubbed the “Big Maitreya with the Swept-back Hairstyle.” When pressed, park managers admitted the statue’s head was modeled after a local entrepreneur who believed his grinning golden visage would help “inspire young people.” Inspire them to commit arson, one would guess.

China Luoyang golden Buddha entrepreneur head statue (image via: Chinanews.com)

After a few days of scathing and unrelenting criticism from local web commentators, park visitors arrived to find the statue headless – odd, yes, but still an improvement. As for the missing head, it turned up shortly thereafter mounted on a small, nondescript building some likened to a public restroom, presumably so young people would be inspired to answer nature’s call in a more entrepreneurial manner.

Jurassic Peck

China Erenhot dinosaur kiss arch statues (images via: Atlas Obscura and China Tour Advisors)

Want to know where the money you spend at Walmart is going? Try Inner Mongolia, where white elephants and green dinosaurs (in this case, one and the same) are free to roam. Unlike other constructed-but-unoccupied cities in the area, Erenhot boasts a population of about 75,000 and a thriving wind farm but city managers felt something was missing. Solution: build a Dinosaur Town & Tea Road Park, plunk a flock of life-sized dinosaur statues around the wind farm to make it look more natural, and have two of the biggest beasts kiss as they arch their necks over a highway… because dinosaurs DID kiss, of course. Wiiiilmaaa!

So Long Soong Ching-ling

Soong Ching-ling statue Henan (images via: SINA Weibo)

So Long Soong Ching-ling, we hardly knew you or at least, knew your statue! Soong Ching-ling was the second wife of Sun Yat-sen, founding father of the Republic of China, and is held in high regard by all Chinese to this day. Therefore it was no surprise the Henan province Soong Ching-ling Foundation was able to scrape up 120 million yuan ($ 19.5 million) to construct a 24 meter (78.5 ft) tall statue honoring her in Henan’s capital city of Zhengzhou. What WAS surprising was that the statue was demolished before it was even half-finished. Sun, I am disappoint.

Henan Soong Ching-ling statue (image via: China.org.cn)

Curiously, it seems that managers at the Henan Provincial Soong Ching Ling Foundation took issue with the appearance of the statue, which was supposed to have been based on a design by Professor Liang Mingcheng of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. “Though the statue and our design look alike, it is terrible in both effect and quality,” stated (or rather, spun) Professor Liang, who evidently isn’t one to mince words. End result: mince the statue.

Next Page:
Peking Yuck The 9 Worst Statues In China

[ By Steve in Global & Travel & Places. ]

[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]

WebUrbanist

Comments Off

Posted in Creativity

What Drumsticks! 12 Thanksgiving Turkey Statues

18 Nov

[ By Steve in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

From “jive turkeys” to WKRP’s notorious televised Thanksgiving airdrop, turkeys have historically gotten less respect than the late Rodney Dangerfield… or have they? These 12 tall & tasteful turkey statues pay well-deserved tribute to the succulent bird that gave sustenance to the Pilgrims.

Rotate Your Tired Turkey

(image via: Wikimedia)

Turkey for Thanksgiving dinner may be big in the USA but back in Merry Olde England the bodacious bird is more commonly consumed for Christmas dinner. Take a Sunday drive through rural British farmlands in December and you’ll come across countless giant turkeys advertising roasters for sale. Some look more lifelike than most, others like the “tired old turkey” above sacrifice authenticity for expediency. God bless us everyone!

Mall Rats Meet the Mall Turkey

(images via: Tekniklr, Buddy Scalera and Malls of America)

Either that’s a really small boy or a really big turkey, and only artist Christopher Parks knows for sure! The “Wild Turkey” statue/sculpture was presented to the people of Paramus, New Jersey on March 14th of 1974 in conjunction with the opening of the Paramus Park mall on that date. Originally located on the mall’s main floor, the artwork was eventually moved to the second floor where it resides today.

(image via: Buddy Scalera)

What’s the connection between Paramus and turkeys? We’re glad you asked: it seems that the colonial settlement was named “Parampsepsus” by the local Leni Lenape tribe, which means a fertile land where maize was grown and where wild turkeys were abundant. The more you know!

Renaissance Roaster

(images via: Russellmcneil and Cultured)

The renaissance artist Giambologna may sound Italian but his birth name was Jean Boulogne and he was born in Douai, Flanders in the year 1529. Moving to Florence, Italy in the mid-16th century, Giambolgna soon attracted the notice of the powerful Medici family and in 1567 crafted this astonishingly realistic turkey for the Duke’s gardens. Turkeys had only recently been introduced to Europe, having been brought back from the New World by some of the first explorers.

The Hindenbird

(images via: CBS Minnesota, City of Frazee and Miss Minnesota)

Before August 8th of 1986, Frazee, Minnesota was known for its abundance of turkey farms… that was before “Big Tom” came to town. Standing 16 feet tall and made from white-painted fiberglass, cardboard and insulation attached to a steel frame, Big Tom put Frazee on the map as the home of The World’s Largest Turkey.

(image via: City of Frazee)

Oh, the turkmanity! Frazee’s most famous attraction met the fate of most actual turkeys on July 1st, 1998 when a wayward welding spark set the gargantuan gobbler’s flammable stuffing ablaze. Much like “Touchdown Jesus”, the Texas State Fair’s “Big Tex” and other flame-felled monuments, the original Big Tom’s fiery passing did not cause any human injuries though it probably wounded Frazee’s civic pride a bit. Don’t cry for Frazee, however: the original Big Tom was due to be replaced by an updated, bronze-colored version standing 30 feet tall.

Gobblezilla!

(images via: Mixed Greenz and Elizabeth Lofgren)

We’re not saying Minnesota’s got a Turkey War brewing but if one should break out, the battle between Frazee’s and Luverne’s giant turkey statues could rival Godzilla vs Megalon. Luverne is tucked into Minnesota’s most southwestern county and, naturally, is a buzzing hub of turkey farming activity. The oversized turkey bidding welcome to patrons of the Blue Mound Inn had better be nailed down good or we’re looking at (removes shades)… A Gobble-lypse Now. YEAHHH!!

White Meat, Grey Towers

(images via: Mommylogue)

Grey Towers National Historic Site, in Milford, PA is centered on the French-style Gifford Pinchot House built using local materials and labor in the mid-1880s. Pinchot was the first director of the United States Forest Service (USFS) and was twice elected governor of Pennsylvania. The proud and noble turkey statue above stands guard near the decorative moat on the house’s grounds.

What About Bob the Turkey?

(images via: Woodstock 11alive and WSBradio)

Sure there’s a ton of turkeys on Facebook but one was a real, live turkey! Bob the Turkey from Woodstock, Georgia, still shows nearly 2,000 Facebook likes though he’s sadly passed on to the avian afterlife. What’s up with Bob and how did he earn his very own statue? It seems that Bob, a wild turkey, set up stomping grounds in a disused green space along Woodstock’s Main Street back in the summer of 2011. Pecking at police cars and gobbling at the neighborhood humans, Bob quickly endeared himself to the local Woodstockians. “He’s out here in the middle of the street,” stated resident Mitch Evans, “wreaking havoc on Woodstock traffic.” You can guess what happens next, hmm?

(images via: Woodstock Art & Glass)

On Sunday, January 15th of 2012, Bob met his end at the hands (tires, actually) of an automobile driving down Main Street. He was obviously missed by Woodstocks’ citizens because six months later a metal statue of Bob was placed in a raised green space just outside Woodstock Art and Glass. Bruce Weinzetl of Acworth, GA made the 60-pound sculpture out of recyclable materials donated by Cherokee County residents. Probably confuses the heck out of the local pigeons.

Rockingham & Rolls

(image via: Taking A Walk)

Bill Haley and His Comets introduced the world to rock & roll music with “Rock Around the Clock” back in 1955. That same year, the Virginia town of Rockingham erected two statuesque bronze & stone monuments to… no, not Bill Haley, to turkeys! Coincidental or not, the pair solemnly stand on the sides of Route 11 on the northern and southern borders of Rockingham County, Virginia’s turkey capitol. At least it was in ’55, when farmers presumably worked around the clock.

Edgefield SC’s Big Turkey Statues

(images via: Jimmywayne, Roadside Examiner and Examiner)

When you’re the National Wild Turkey Federation’s home base, you celebrate the fact and Edgefield, South Carolina has gone whole hog… er, cold turkey? Undoubtedly the many elaborately painted fiberglass turkeys on display in Edgefield get a might chilly on clear winter nights but nobody’s complaining, least of all the turkeys.

(image via: Martin LaBar)

Edgefield may be small but its been home to ten of South Carolina’s governors including Strom Thurmond, who served from 1947 through 1951. These days, though, turkeys are the town’s real claim to fame and visitors get constant visual reminders of that fact as they mosey through the center of town. It’s enough to stimulate the appetite so stop in for a turkey & pepperjack panini – they serve turkey in Edgefield as well as celebrate them.

Hot Licques

(images via: Kathryn Sanderson)

Pamplona has the running of the bulls, Licques has the running of the turkeys… or as they call it in the local parlance, “Fête de la Dinde”. Maybe it’s not as exciting or dangerous as the traditional Spanish event but hey, when turkeys are your business you work with what you’ve got. Licques’ turkey festival is no latecoming copycat, mind you, the town’s been celebrating all things turkey since the 17th century. Let them eat cake, sure, but in Licques the main course is turkey.

Ride ‘Em Turkeyboy!

(images via: BildIndex, Wikimedia and Panoramio/Lady A)

Boys riding turkeys? What’s the world coming to? Better (or worse) yet, this odd practice has been immortalized a number of times in bronze and stone. One of these “turkeyboys” can be found on the grounds of the century-old Italienisches Dörfchen restaurant complex in Dresden, Germany. Georg Wrba’s whimsical sculpture has held up pretty well over the past century, all the more remarkable when one considers it’s spent those hundred years in Dresden.

(image via: OpenLibrary.org)

Albert H. Hodge (1875-1918) was a prolific Victorian-era sculptor whose work has stood the test of time in London, Cardiff and Glasgow. Hodge’s “Boy and Turkey” dates from 1907 and its companion piece – a boy riding a goat – seems utterly pedestrian by comparison.

Them’s Fightin’ Turkeys!

(images via: Wikimedia and ZOOM.nl)

Turkeys aren’t exactly known for their ferocity but Theo Mulder’s 1965 sculpture “Vechtende Kalkoenen” (Fighting Turkeys) purports to state otherwise. The sculpture spent some years at the Kerkstraat in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel in the Netherlands before being moved in 1989 to its current location at the Rosarium in Oudwijk, Utrecht.

(image via: The Onion)

More so than almost any other animal, turkeys were domesticated to provide food for people. From gobbling to being gobbled – rather ignominious, no? Yet around the world we’ve raised monuments and built statues featuring this crispy (if deep fried) critter. Go figure… and while you’re doing that, pass the stuffing!

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebUrbanist:

Giant Robot Statues: 19 Stunning Images Of Our New Overlords

If there is one thing humanity did right, it’s create awe inspiring monuments: The Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Gundam robot statue… wait, what?
1 Comment – Click Here to Read More
»»

Upwardly Immobile: 15 Sky High Statues From 15 Countries

This selection of 15 sky-high statues showcases the tallest figural sculptures in their respective countries, all constructed with a higher purpose in mind.
8 Comments – Click Here to Read More »»

Posts Tagged ‘Statues’

Texas-Sized Santa

Fingered Down Under

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Santa Claustrophobia The Worlds Creepiest Santa Statues

Leshan Giant Buddha, China

Moai of Easter Island

Appennine Colossus, Italy

Tirthankara Jain Sculptures of India

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Still Standing Tall 7 Monumental Statues Of The Ancient World

The Motherland Calls, Volgograd, Russia

Monument of the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship, Turna Hill, Bulgaria

Colossal Courage, Belarus

Superhero-Style Astronaut Sculpture, Moscow, Russia

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Staggering Statues 7 Monumental Wonders Of The Former Soviet Union

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebUrbanist:

Peking Yuck: The 9 Worst Statues In China

Presidential Portraits: Drawings & Paintings of George Bush

Scattered Marbles: 10 Smashed, Bashed & Trashed Statues

Siberian Breakfast Club

Hail Stylin’!

Party Chair Man

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Color Me Patriotic Ukraines Painted Lenin Statues

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebUrbanist:

Scattered Marbles: 10 Smashed, Bashed & Trashed Statues

Dutch Duo Turns Rio Slum into Rainbow of Painted Color

Giants in Living Color: Massive Street Murals by Etam Cru

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebUrbanist:

Abandoned Church Becomes Brilliant Urban Art Installation

Light Lines: Stunning String Installation Inside Abandoned Church

Church ‘Champing’: Spend a Night in a Historic British Chapel

Duck, Gaddafi

Falling Star

Lenin Towers

Trash Mountain Or Bust

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Scattered Marbles 10 Smashed Bashed Trashed Statues

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebUrbanist:

Giant Robot Statues: 19 Stunning Images Of Our New Overlords

Peking Yuck: The 9 Worst Statues In China

Upwardly Immobile: 15 Sky High Statues From 15 Countries

The Brylcreem Buddha of Luoyang

Jurassic Peck

So Long Soong Ching-ling

Next Page: Peking Yuck The 9 Worst Statues In China

Rotate Your Tired Turkey

Mall Rats Meet the Mall Turkey

Renaissance Roaster

The Hindenbird

Gobblezilla!

White Meat, Grey Towers

What About Bob the Turkey?

Rockingham & Rolls

Edgefield SC’s Big Turkey Statues

Hot Licques

Ride ‘Em Turkeyboy!

Them’s Fightin’ Turkeys!

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebUrbanist:

Giant Robot Statues: 19 Stunning Images Of Our New Overlords

Upwardly Immobile: 15 Sky High Statues From 15 Countries

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Santa Claustrophobia The Worlds Creepiest Santa Statues

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Still Standing Tall 7 Monumental Statues Of The Ancient World

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Staggering Statues 7 Monumental Wonders Of The Former Soviet Union

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Color Me Patriotic Ukraines Painted Lenin Statues

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Scattered Marbles 10 Smashed Bashed Trashed Statues

Next Page:
Peking Yuck The 9 Worst Statues In China