21 of the World’s Most Delightful Bronze Statues

Humanity has gone to impressive lengths to immortalize a lot of very specific things in bronze. Dog mayors, television detectives, and everything in between have inspired permanent monuments in public spaces around the world. Recently, we asked Atlas Obscura readers to tell us about the best bronze statues where they live, and sure enough, you sent us some truly unforgettable monuments.

We may never be able to catalog every single unique or amazing statue out there, but boy did our readers get us off to a good start. Among the many monuments (some of which, to be completely accurate, are made of brass instead of bronze) you told us about, there’s Germany’s wolf and crane statue, which tells the story of one of Aesop’s Fables in the creepiest way possible; the Bewitched statue in Salem, Massachusetts, which commemorates a notably different era of fictional witches; and Pittsburgh’s Mr. Rogers statue, which “kind of looks like a pile of ground beef.”

We’ve collected some of our favorite submissions below—and if we’ve missed one of your own favorites, you can always suggest that we add it to the site!

Late for the Interurban

Seattle, Washington

“It’s a beautiful, dynamic sculpture that captures the comedy and relationship between these two performers. The sculpture has a fun sense of action. These two characters are dearly loved by kids who grew up in Washington in the 1970s and ’80s.” — Mark Cooper, Seattle, Washington

Proudy

Prague, Czechia

“The statues contain an electronic device that allows them to turn their hips and lift their male member so that the stream of water writes letters on the surface. One can send a text message to activate the statues!” — Dave Arland, Carmel, Indiana

The Tinker

York, Pennsylvania

“It’s a depiction of Jack Haley’s Tin Man in the pose of Rodin’s The Thinker.” — Peter Henry, York, Pennsylvania

Wisconsin Capitol Badger

Madison, Wisconsin

“The statue was cast in 1899 from bronze cannons captured during the Spanish-American War. It was originally on the bridge of the first USS Wisconsin battleship. Since 1989 the statue has been in the state capitol building. Its nose is rubbed by tourists and politicians to bring good luck.” — Terry Craney, Madison, Wisconsin

Bronze Fonz

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

“I sculpted it.” — Gerald P. Sawyer, Milford, Wisconsin

Frank Zappa Bust

Baltimore, Maryland

“[I like it] because it’s just a bust on a pole in a nondescript sidewalk. Super easy to miss, but an incredible find.” — Joe Dissolvo, Baltimore, Maryland

A Day Out

Adelaide, South Australia

“Their names are Horatio, Augusta, Truffles and Oliver. They’re so personal and very interactive with everyone in the Rundle Mall. People sit on them, rub their noses, and people even put real food out for Oliver to eat.” — Alastair McCallum, Adelaide, South Australia

Alice in Wonderland in Central Park

New York City, New York

“It’s got so many characters. It’s very detailed. Also, it doubles as a jungle gym for kids. Been going my whole life. It’s balanced in every direction. For me growing up, it was a little whimsical and a little creepy.” — Mike, New York City, New York

Ainslie’s Sheep

Canberra, Australia

“It’s sooo Australian. It depicts a sheep in a barber’s chair ready to be shorn.” — Catherine, Canberra, Australia

Frank Sidebottom Statue

Timperley, Manchester

“Just look at it!” — Robert Bamlett, Manchester, United Kingdom

Mark Twain On a Bench

Fairfield, Connecticut

“You can take a photo or have a fairly one-sided conversation with him.” — Mark Talling, Fairfield, Connecticut

Mary Tyler Moore Statue

Minneapolis, Minnesota

“It’s a television moment of an iconic character frozen in time and space, pop culture history and women’s history in America. It’s precisely located where Mary Tyler Moore tossed her hat in the show’s opening credits.” — Elliot Finch, Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota

Lumpy Mr. Rogers

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

“It kind of looks like a pile of ground beef, but it’s Mr. Roger’s putting on his shoes. An iconic, humble image of an iconic and humble man. Fred Rogers is quite possibly the closest-to-perfect human to have lived. He taught us to look for the good and beauty in everyone and everything, and reassured us that it was there. Pittsburgh may have been his actual neighborhood, but he was everyone’s neighbor.” — Anne Bartholomew, Columbus, Ohio

Phil Lynott Statue

Dublin, Ireland

“Phil was an incredible musician, a great human, and a true Dubliner who we are all proud of, and who left us way too soon. It’s great to have him commemorated in the city he loved and it’s always touching to see the guitar picks that fans from around the world leave tucked in the strings of the statue’s guitar.” — Ben Walsh, Dublin, Ireland

Puppenbrunnen (Puppet Fountain)

Aachen, Germany

“Bronze puppets with articulated arms and legs, which passers-by can move as they like. Germany is a great country for creative bronze art.” — Suzanne Assenat, Nimes, France

Bewitched Statue

Salem, Massachusetts

“A smiling Samantha perched on her crescent moon is such a goofy twist on the whole witch culture in Salem.” — Beverly Haskin, Beverly, Massachusetts

Ignatius J. Reilly Statue

New Orleans, Louisiana

“The last time I saw it, it was in front of the old department store from the novel. It was in an understated, neglected condition, much like the character it represents.” — Marylee, California

Emily Carr Statue

Victoria, British Columbia

“[It] is an old lady with a dressed capuchin monkey on her shoulder and dog at her feet. It puts off an air of whimsy in a rather Victorian posh area.” — Jesse Letterman, Tacoma, Washington

The Wolf and the Crane

Berlin, Germany

“I spent a lot of time in Berlin in the past and Treptower Park is this weird mix of promenading along a waterfront, picnicking and sunbathing on the grass, drinking beer in a biergarten, and, across the street, walking around a HUGE Soviet memorial. In the midst of all this, in a place that feels out of the way but isn’t, is this seemingly random, whimsical statue/fountain. The times I visited it, it was either dribbling out the side or spraying water in an unintended direction. The stork has a little pair of pince-nez perched on his beak. The wolf has his paws wrapped tenderly around the stork’s legs. But, the moral of the story is, ‘expect no reward for serving the wicked.’ Ugh, I just realized how applicable this should be these days but doesn’t seem to be the case. Anyway, the surprise and unexpected wonderfulness of the statue has stuck with me through the years.” — Kamala Englin, Portland, Oregon

Hamburger Man Statue

Edmonton, Alberta

“Hamburger Man makes me laugh because he looks so, so disappointed to be having a burger alone.” — Robyn, Edmonton, Alberta

Yoda Fountain

San Francisco, California

“Judge him by his size do you? The diminutive (yet life-size) statue sits on a remarkably grand fountain, and as both a representative of the Light Side and the only marker that a visitor has arrived at Lucasfilm HQ, is a reminder that size matters not.” — Evan Dobson, Seattle, Washington

If you have a favorite bronze statue of your own to share, head over to our community forums and tell us about it!