Residents of the Lower Garden District in New Orleans, Louisiana, were met on Sunday with a new and unexpected neighbor: a wild Pikachu statue, made of fiberglass.
The (larger than) life-sized pocket monster, who is a fan-favorite in the augmented reality video game Pokémon Go, appeared in an out-of-use fountain in Coliseum Square. The area is also home to a marble statue of Margaret Haughery, an Irish immigrant who was known to locals as “Angel of the Delta,” and “Friend of the Orphans,” and was erected after her death in 1882.
The neighborhood association’s vice president, Karon Reese, told artnet News in a phone conversation that crowds of people have flocked to the site since it first surfaced. “It’s creating quite a sensation down here in our neighborhood park,” Reese said. “Some neighbors say that this doesn’t belong in a historic park, but it doesn’t bother me. It’s bringing people from all over together, and they’re gathering and having fun.”
The artist behind the sculpture is still unknown; however, Reese told artnet News that a man wearing a curious suit was watching the crowd yesterday evening. When Reese approached this character, the man confirmed that he helped install the monument. After Reese mentioned that the piece looked “Bansky-eque,” the man told her that he could neither confirm nor deny if Banksy was involved.
Reese told artnet News that city officials will ultimately decide on how to handle the sculpture. “It can’t stay forever because at some point we want to get that fountain up and running again,” Reese said.
Fans of the sparky mouse have flocked to the park in the past few days to interact with the faux-bronze sculpture. Ai Vi Dang wrote in an Instagram post: “Taking a break from adulting and running errands to be a child.”
Marian Kaufman, Bayou Magazine‘s associate editor, wrote in another Instagram post: “This makes me so happy to call Nola my home and Pokemon my game.”
See Instagram images featuring the statue below.