Mysterious googly eyes go viral after appearing on public art in Oregon

[December 14, 2024]  By CLAIRE RUSH

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Googly eyes have been appearing on sculptures around the central Oregon city of Bend, delighting many residents and sparking a viral sensation covered widely by news outlets and featured on a popular late-night talk show.

On social media, the city shared photos of googly eyes on installations in the middle of roundabouts that make up its so-called “Roundabout Art Route.” One photo shows googly eyes placed on a sculpture of two deer, while another shows them attached to a sphere. It's not yet known who has been putting them on the sculptures.

"While the googly eyes placed on the various art pieces around town might give you a chuckle, it costs money to remove them with care to not damage the art," the city said in its posts.

The Facebook post received hundreds of comments, with many users saying they liked the googly eyes. “My daughter and I went past the flaming chicken today and shared the biggest laugh," one user said, using a nickname for the “Phoenix Rising” sculpture. "We love the googly eyes. This town is getting to be so stuffy. Let’s have fun!”

Another Facebook user wrote: “I think the googly eyes on the deer specifically are a great look, and they should stay that way.”

Others said the city should focus on addressing more important issues, such as homelessness, instead of spending time and money on removing the googly eyes.

Over the years, the city’s sculptures have been adorned with other seasonal decorations, including Santa hats, wreaths, leis. The city doesn’t remove those, and views the googly eyes differently because of the adhesive, Bend's communications director, Rene Mitchell, told The Associated Press.

This image provided by the City of Bend, Oregon, shows a a set of googly eyes placed on a public art sculpture in Bend, Ore. (City of Bend, Oregon, via AP)

“We really encourage our community to engage with the art and have fun. We just need to make sure that we can protect it and that it doesn’t get damaged,” she said.

The post and its comments were covered by news outlets, and even made it on a segment of CBS's “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” The city regrets that its post was misunderstood, Mitchell said.

“There was no intent to be heavy-handed, and we certainly understand maybe how that was taken," she said. “We own this large collection of public art and really want to bring awareness to the community that applying adhesives does harm the art. So as stewards of the collection, we wanted to share that on social media."

The city has so far spent $1,500 on removing googly eyes from seven of the eight sculptures impacted, Mitchell said, and has started treating some of the art pieces, which are made of different types of metal such as bronze and steel. The "Phoenix Rising" sculpture might need to be repainted entirely, she said.

For some, the googly eyes — like the other holiday objects — provide a welcome boost of seasonal cheer.

“I look forward to seeing the creativity of whoever it is that decorates the roundabouts during the holidays,” one social media commenter said. “Brings a smile to everyone to see silliness.”

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