Attack of the Giant Lawn Ornament, Part 1 (Updated)

If you have ever lost a lawn ornament--say, a pink flamingo or a garden gnome--my guess is that they were probably eaten by this guy:


I found this 9 foot tall mammoth mantis near Second Time Around, a second hand store in Stoystown, while wandering around the back roads of southwestern Pennsylvania. So, I thought I'd snap a few pics of it for my photo collection of the odd and kitschy. Click the link below for the full gallery.










I particularly like the next two pics because they almost look like the giant mantis is hiding behind the bicycle statue, patiently waiting for an unsuspecting hiker, bicyclist, or motorist to pass by and become its next meal.



Below are some earlier photos that I was able to find that were taken of this big bug before its one antenna was broken.





I don't know who created this giant lawn ornament, so I have no idea what motivated him or her to sculpt this magnificent beast. He/she could have been an entomology enthusiast, a Praying Mantis aficionado, or a devoted fan of the 1957 big bug flick, The Deadly Mantis.


Update, 8/19/10: Today I had a chance to speak directly with the owner of Second Time Around, and she gave me plenty of additional information about the history behind this big bug. Stay tuned for "Attack of the Giant Lawn Ornament, Part 2: Revenge of Survivor", coming soon!




Comments

  1. lifeshighwayAugust 18, 2010 at 3:54 PM

    I love this yard art display. It is so rare to see bugs of any kind. Like you I particularly like the random combination of the Victorian byclistit and and the praying mantis.

    ReplyDelete
  2. TimAugust 19, 2010 at 3:43 PM

    Glad you liked this post--I like to see when someone goes above and beyond the average effort to put something truly unique on display for the public, even if it is just a "lawn ornament", so to speak. FYI, I just picked up some additional information about this giant mantis today, so I'll be updating this post and adding a second one to it soon. Stay tuned!

    ReplyDelete

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