The risk of having brick-built LEGO constructs being put on exhibit with near unrestricted access at public places is the possibility of it being tampered with. It’s fortunate enough for exhibits like the LEGO Park People in Houston to remain unmolested; other displays like a Duplo statue outside a Gloucestershire toy store that got its head stolen in March, are not as lucky as Houston. Now yet another mishap has taken place in the UK regarding a vandalized LEGO brick-build exhibit. This was in the Royal Hall Theatre in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Featured on display is a brick-built bust of Winston Churchill, with a cigar clenched between his teeth; but not anymore.
This LEGO brick-built bust of Winston Churchill was put at the Royal Hall at the request of the Harrogate Convention Centre, which would itself be playing host to a LEGO event, The Great Brick Adventure, on the August-September weekend.
It was over the first weekend of August rather, when it was discovered that the usual cigar in the Churchill bust’s mouth was gone. Harrogate Convention Centre PR manager Richard Catton has launched an investigation on the theft, positing that it may have happened during a recent awards ceremony that was held in Royal Hall.
In line with the investigation, invitations have been given to all attendees of that ceremony for whoever was responsible to come forward and return the brick-cigar. Doing so would mean no charges will be filed against him with the police.
Catton did manage to find some humor in this occasion, describing the cigar-less LEGO bust of Churchill as “like Yorkshire pudding without onion gravy – just not complete.” He’ll also have other matters to attend to, such as preparations for The Great Brick Adventure at the Harrogate Convention Centre, running from August 31 to September 2.