It’s that time once again for “weird LEGO stories”. Today we go to the UK, one of LEGO’s major markets, for a one-and-done tale of a strange act of vandalism involving everyone’s favorite brick-building toy brand. I followed this when it started; now that it’s ended, I’ll report its entirety.
Late last week, residents and shoppers in Cirencester, Gloucestershire were surprised to find the statue outside Crocodile Toys defaced. To be precise, the statue – made out of Duplo blocks – had gotten its head removed. Said statue, provided to the retailer by The LEGO Group, has stood outside for seven years.
The Cirencester Crocodile Toys store manager noted the incident as simple vandalism, though he was still upset because the Duplo statue, depicting a workman in cap and suspenders, has become a local landmark and photo-op spot. The manager posted the headless statue on Facebook, feeling it pointless to bother police.
Luckily, there was a good ending to this story. The missing Duplo statue head was located briefly at Woolmarket, late evening of Monday, March 5. The following morning it was apparently returned by the thief to Crocodile Toys, along with an apology note, explaining he was drunk when it happened.
The manager and store owner expressed relief at getting the missing head back and stated his intention to repair it no matter how long it might take. Then again, as the statue was given by LEGO, a Master Builder might soon be dispatched to reassemble the statue. Only time will tell.
Source: Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard
