Big Potato (Xylofagou)

34.97608361173903°N 33.835393526689685°E / 34.97608361173903; 33.835393526689685

The Big Potato in October 2021

The Big Potato is a statue in Xylofagou, Cyprus. It is 4.9 meters (16 feet) tall and made of fibreglass.[1] It cost €8,000 to design and make, and is placed at the centre of the village, (next to the Olympos Xylophagou stadium), to commemorate the villages' potato growing history, and was created ahead of their annual potato festival. It is shaped after the Spunta Potato breed, which is grown in Xylofagou and is famous for its abnormally long shape.[2] Plans were made to include a road sign pointing towards the statue to attract tourists. Seats next to the monument for photographs are also planned, as well as a potato museum and a Guinness World Record attempt for frying the most French fries at one time.[1][3] It is guarded at night to prevent vandalism. George Tasou stated that he was inspired by the The Big Fish in Belfast, and wanted to commemorate Xylofagou's potato history in a similar way.[4] The Deputy Ministry of Tourism in Cyprus welcomed the project.[5] It was announced in July 2023 that the "Xylofagou Big Potato International Festival" would be happening around September 7–8. The organisers promised that the festival would feature local farmers and agriculture experts who will educate those interested in their trade.[6]

Criticism

The statue received mixed reviews. While it was received well by many, the statue was also hit with a lot of negative publicity, criticised for its phallic resemblance.[4] While some locals in Xylofagou liked the statue,[7] some were upset with its creation, due to the nature of its appearance provoking negative reaction across social media, believing it was bringing the village into disrepute globally. Community leader George Tasou defended his decision to create the statute in the Cyprus Mail, stating that "Xylofagou has a long legacy of potato growing and used to be the main potato grower in Cyprus. This helped the village grow into the 10,000-strong community it is today". He later stated that anyone seeing anything else other than a potato was guilty of a dirty mind, and was unfazed by criticism due to it bringing publicity to the town.[4] Euripides Evriviades, former Cypriot ambassador to the UK, satirically mocked the statute on Twitter, stating "Other countries have instantly recognizable monuments. Now we have ours",[8] comparing it to other landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.[9]

Two months after its erection, the statue was toppled by vandals on 1 January 2022 at around 3:30 am,[10] causing €4,000 in damages.[11][12] It was confirmed to not be weather related,[13] the perpetrators unknown.[14] A 500 euro reward was raised for those that found the vandals but no information was provided.[6] It was re-erected afterwards.

In December, around the Christmas season, the statue is decorated to resemble a traditional Christmas tree, with a star placed at the top, lights draped to the floor, and tinsel surrounding its base. In 2022, it was covered in Christmas lights.[15][16]

References
  1. "A Village in Cyprus Is Now Home to This 16-Foot-Tall Potato Statue". Food & Wine. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  2. "Oddly-shaped potato statue in Cypriot village goes viral for all the wrong reasons | indy100". www.indy100.com. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  3. fm (14 October 2021). "'Big Potato' war breaks out over landmark". Financial Mirror. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  4. "'Viral' Big Potato garners attention at home and abroad | Cyprus Mail". cyprus-mail.com/. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  5. fm (13 October 2021). "Village 'Big Potato' homage goes viral". Financial Mirror. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  6. Theodoulou, Nick (17 July 2023). "Xylofagou prepares for 'big international potato' festival | Cyprus Mail". cyprus-mail.com/. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  7. "Cyprus's homage to the humble spud goes viral". The Indian Express. 17 October 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  8. "Statue of giant potato goes viral for phallus shape". ABS-CBN News. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  9. "Phallic-shaped 'big potato' statue vandalized in Cyprus". 3 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  10. Skoulding, Lucy (4 January 2022). "Bizarre 'big potato' statue that went viral for rude shape cut down by vandals". mirror. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  11. Gct (2 January 2022). "Cyprus' Big Potato Get Vandalised On NYE". Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  12. Roberts, Joe (3 January 2022). "'Penis-like' potato statue toppled two months after erection". Metro. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  13. Solutions, BDigital Web. "Cyprus' Big Potato can't stay erect after rough night". knews.com.cy. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  14. "Landmark 'big potato' monument vandalized on New Year's Day". UPI. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  15. Bureau, Athens (29 November 2021). "The Giant Potato Monument In Cyprus Gets Its Christmas Make Over". Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  16. "The small village of Cyprus is rich in potatoes, and the "big potato" sculpture is made for publicity, which is destroyed on New Year's Eve". Retrieved 4 January 2023.
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