The Quirkiest College Campus Statues in America

Amherst’s Sabrina.
Photo: Huffington Post/Wikimedia Commons

From the historical to the wacky, almost every college campus boasts an iconic statue of some kind. And while they sometimes fall victim to juvenile pranks (a beer placed in an outstretched hand, perhaps) they are also an established symbol of campus pride, beloved by students, faculty, and alumni alike.

Hillsdale College’s Margaret Thatcher statue.
Photo: Huffington Post/Flickr

Thanks to the Huffington Post, we now have a record of the best campus statues throughout the country. Some of our favorites? Amherst College’s Sabrina, a 150-year-old beauty who’s been subject to her fair share of debauchery over the years. Campus traditions include dressing the statue up, stealing her, and even flying her over athletic events. After the class on 2008 stole her, they returned her at their five year reunion in 2013, only to have her stolen less than two hours later by the class of 2013. Bryn Mawr’s Athena statue gets slightly better treatment, it seems—students actually leave offerings and handwritten notes to her in exchange for good luck during exams.

At the University of Maryland, there’s a friendly statue of Muppet’s creator Jim Henson chatting with his pal Kermit the Frog. If that doesn’t cheer you up after a long day of hitting the books, we’re not sure what will. But if what you need is a foreboding figure to get you to class on time, Michigan’s Hillsdale College is home to the only statue of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in North America.