14 fictional movie characters who got made into actual statues
Literally carved in stone.
From martial artists to monsters, CGI characters to cyborgs, there are some pretty funky statues out there celebrating fictional characters. Here are some destinations to add to your travel check list...
Rocky
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Try telling yourself that you're not going to be one of those tourists who bolts to the top of the stone steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and throws your arms up in the air. But when you get there, you will, trust us. You'll also get a snap next to this statue of Sylvester Stallone's plucky underdog.
William Wallace from Braveheart
Location: Stirling, Scotland
Let's get something straight, we know William Wallace was real. The reason this statue makes our list is because it isn't just a statue of Wallace – it's a statue of Mel Gibson as Wallace from Braveheart (just without the multi-coloured make-up).
Superman
Location: Metropolis, IL
Savvy residents of the Illinois city of Metropolis weren't going to let a name like that go unused when it's so closely associated with the Man of Steel. Not only is Metropolis home to this statue but The Super Museum on Market Street houses more than 20,000 items of memorabilia.
Yoda
Location: San Francisco, CA
Statue, you seek? Take a selfie, you must! The Jedi master sits in a fountain in front of the Letterman Digital Arts Center – let's hope the seagulls stay away.
Columbo
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Yes, technically he's a TV character, but he started life as a TV movie-of-the-week, so we're claiming him for Movies. When you're in Budapest there is "just one more thing" you need to do – visit this statue of Peter Falk as TV detective Columbo. Why is it there? Hungarians believe that Peter Falk is related to the Hungarian public figure Miksa Falk, and that's reason enough, apparently.
Godzilla
Location: Yokosuka, Japan
As you might expect there are plenty of enormous statues commemorating the monstrous Gojira (or as we know the creature, Godzilla) in Japan. Head to the Kurihama Flower Park in Yokosuka to find one of the biggest.
Sean and Mary from The Quiet Man
Location: County Mayo, Ireland
Is it too late to warn you about a spoiler for a 1952 movie? Oh well... This statue in the village of Cong (where the movie was filmed – check out The Quiet Man museum, tours and gift shop while you're there) shows the final scene of John Ford's romance. Maybe John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara don't get together?
Chen Zhen from Fist of Fury
Location: Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
The Hong Kong-based Rubão Fan Club raised $100,000 to erect a statue of the legendary martial artist and movie actor Bruce Lee on the Avenue of Stars following his death. It shows his classic 'ready to strike' Bruce Lee pose as seen in the 1972 movie Fist of Fury.
Maria from Metropolis
Location: Babelsberg, Germany
No, that's not C-3P0! It's the Maschinenmensch from Fritz Lang's classic 1927 film Metropolis, which is created when Maria is transformed into a cyborg. It's suitably positioned outside the Babelsberg Film Studio, where Metropolis was filmed, which is still a working studio today having recently been used for Atomic Blonde, A Cure for Wellness and Isle of Dogs.
Napoleon Dynamite
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Created in 2014 to celebrate the film's 10th anniversary, this Pedro-voting, moonboot-wearing statue has the skills to entertain. While you'd think it would be in Franklin County, Idaho where the movie was filmed, you can actually find it on the Fox Studio lot in LA.
Unicorn Gundam
Location: Odaiba, Tokyo
This massive mech from the Unicorn Gundam anime is piloted by the epically named Banagher Links. Its real-world statue is no less epic, as this 1.7m creation transforms numerous times every day, revealing hidden light panels as it switches to Destroyer mode.
Captain Kirk from Star Trek
Location: Hall Park, Riverside, Iowa
He won't be born there until March 22, 2233, but that hasn't stopped Riverside residents building a statue to honour Captain James Tiberius Kirk. Shame actor William Shatner didn't get to sign off on it, as he's not sure it looks like him.
RoboCop
Location: Roosevelt Park, Detroit
The origin of the RoboCop statue is amazing, as a citizen of Detroit (where the futuristic 'bot lays down the law in the movies) tweeted the mayor to say: "Philadelphia has a statue of Rocky & RoboCop would kick Rocky's butt." That led to a crowdfunding campaign which raised $67,436 and after a seven-year wait the statue is ready to be unveiled this year!
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