Fake pterodactyl nabs surfer in statue prank

[August 15, 2011]  CARDIFF-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. (AP) -- A bronze surfer statue near San Diego that's been the target of many gags has been hit again.

Unknown pre-dawn pranksters on Saturday constructed an elaborate scene of a pterodactyl seemingly about to pluck the sculpture of a young surfer off his board. The pranksters placed a painted backdrop of a volcanic eruption behind the surfer statue.

The Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/q77ToU) reports crowds of gawkers and photographers gathered around the 16-foot creation after the sun rose.

Last year someone surrounded the roadside statue in Cardiff-by-the-Sea with a papier-mache model of a great white shark that appeared to be swallowing it whole.

The $120,000 sculpture called "Magic Carpet Ride" has been derided by local surfers who criticize the boy's pose as too awkward.

The statue has been bedecked with bras, skirts and witch hats so often that locals have come to call it "The Cardiff Kook."

___

Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.