A piece of public art in Cardiff has once again become the victim of ridicule.
This time, the surfer statue is dressed as a clown – which is making people chuckle.
“It’s so funny,” said Tatiana, a Cardiff resident. “I heard about it and was hoping to make it over here so I could put it on Facebook.”
The statue, officially called "The Magic Carpet Ride" but referred to as the "Cardiff Kook" by some locals, has been a favorite target of pranks since it was erected in 2007.
“It suits him just fine. That’s what he should be dressed up as,” said Joe.
Joe is not a fan of the statue.
“I think they should leave it. I really do,” he said. “The shark was the best, but this one’s not bad.”
He’s talking about the giant papier-mâché shark head that swallowed the statue. That was last month’s prank.
It took about two weeks for a group of 25 friends to put together the "Jaws-like" creature made out of newspaper, wood and chicken wire. A group of more than a dozen moved it across a two-lane highway in the early morning hours without getting caught.
It took the city more than 48 hours to remove it.
Many people feel the statue, and more specifically, the surfer's pose, is not representative of the local surfing community.
Over the years, the surfer, known affectionately as the "Cardiff Kook", has been dressed up in evening gowns, bikini tops and skirts, and even a wrestling mask. During Halloween, it was adorned in a giant pumpkin head.
