Playing With Statues (23 photos)
Content warning: Which one is your favorite?
Public sculptures might be made of stone and metal, but in these clever photos, they come alive. From perfectly timed reactions to staged comedy and emotional mimicry, these 22 playful interactions between people and statues remind us how imagination can turn ordinary spaces into hilarious or heartfelt scenes.
Part 1: Playing with statues (25 photos)
1. Cherub Attack
A stone cherub reaches out to a man who reacts in mock terror, making it look like the statue has come alive and is launching an ambush.
2. Roundhouse Kick
A woman times a kick to appear as if she’s knocking a waterfront statue off balance.
3. Deep Thoughts
Mimicking a seated statue’s pensive posture, a woman makes a dramatic thinking face, playing along with the sculpture’s pose.
4. Tug of War
A child appears to tug on the arm of a bronze child statue, creating the illusion of a struggle between real and sculpted friends.
5. Surprise Uppercut
A statue’s arm lines up perfectly with a boy’s face as he leaps in the air, making it seem like he’s just been hit.
6. Bunny Rescue
A toddler hugs the last rabbit in a sculpted line of bronze bunnies, adding a sweet human moment to a whimsical scene.
7. A Kiss From Mozart
A street performer dressed as Mozart leans forward and kisses a visitor’s hand in a moment of old-world charm.
8. Merlion Hydration
A man lines his mouth under the Merlion’s fountain stream, appearing to drink from the iconic statue.
9. Office Home Run
A man throws his papers in the air as a statue of a baseball player appears to bat them out of the park
10. Double Lift
A woman and a statue both lift babies into the air in perfect sync, creating a heartwarming mirrored moment.
11. Last in Line
A young boy with a backpack stands between bronze statues of children, blending seamlessly into the sculpted queue.
12. Sad Together
A little girl in a red dress mirrors the hunched, pensive posture of a nearby bronze sculpture in a park, echoing the same emotional state.
13. Story Time With Hans
Four adults interact with a statue of Hans Christian Andersen and his duck, posing as if they’re being read a story.
14. Soda Talk
A man sits on a bench sharing a soda and snack with a statue, captured mid-conversation.
15. Group Chat
A man shows something on his phone to two bronze statues, making it look like they’re having a casual chat.
16. Ignored Again
A man tries to get the attention of a statue on a seaside bench who dramatically looks away with a hand on her chin.
17. Flying Kick
A man balances on top of a sculpture and performs a flying kick into one of the statue’s faces.
18. Office Home Run
A woman pretends to whisper a secret into the ear of a classical marble statue posed as if listening.
19. Tug of Sniff
In a two-frame sequence, a real dog joins a bronze sculpture of a tug-of-war scene, sniffing the metal dog at the end of the line. The moment blends reality and art perfectly, turning a static piece into a living tableau.
20. Perfect Timing — Target Field in Minneapolis, USA
A bronze baseball player is mid-swing, and a boy positions himself so the bat lines up perfectly with his face, creating the illusion that he’s getting hit.
21. Titan Lunch — Attack on Titan Park Installation, Japan
A giant Titan head sculpture from the anime Attack on Titan shows a wide-open mouth with massive teeth, while several people pose inside its hand, staged as if they’re about to be eaten.
22. High Five
A man jumps mid-air toward a seated statue of a woman with her hand raised, producing the perfect freeze-frame high five.
23. Flying
Whether silly or sweet, these interactions breathe new life into public sculptures. When people play with statues, the result is often spontaneous art.
More: 8 Stunning Dog Murals Around the World (For Dog Lovers!)
Which one is your favorite?
Playing With Statues (21 Photos)
Visitors around the world keep finding clever ways to turn public sculptures into something new — by joining in. From mountain bears to marble scenes, each moment captures humor, timing, and a little bit of improvisation.
More: Playing With Statues (26 photos)
1. Bear Hug
A cyclist lies across the arms of a standing bear statue, perfectly staged to look like a dramatic rescue in the wild.
2. Follow the Music
A small child joins a bronze sculpture of children following a violinist, becoming part of the playful parade.
3. Paper Storm
A woman leaps into the air as a statue swings a bat, sending her papers flying — captured at just the right second.
4. Caught by the Eagle
A man pretends to be snatched by a huge eagle sculpture, turning a dramatic scene into comedy gold. Gandalf summons you sir!
5. No Thanks
A hand holds a cigarette pack in front of a carved stone figure, perfectly aligned so it looks like the figure is raising a hand to refuse the offer.
6. The Force Push
A person jumps backward in front of a statue reaching forward, creating the illusion of an invisible force. Let the force be with you!
7. The Slap
A laughing bronze figure on a unicycle seems to slap a passerby in perfect comedic timing.
8. Group Effort
Friends recreate the composition of a dramatic marble sculpture, matching each pose in striking accuracy.
9. Trumpet Call
A man pretends to blast a trumpet into the ear of a crouching figure sculpture, freezing a moment of exaggerated reaction.
10. Hold My Hand
A small child joins a bronze family sculpture, pulling at the arm of the statue child as if part of the same stroll.
11. Old Whisper
A man stands close to a statue of an elderly figure, leaning in as the sculpture appears to tug on his shirt and whisper a secret.
12. The Late Disinfection
A worker in protective gear sprays down a classical-style statue in a modern city setting. The scene creates a humorous contrast between ancient history and present-day cleaning routines.
13. Bunny Line
A young child appears to join a line of sculpted rabbits, creating a seamless and charming illusion of waiting their turn.
14. Stone Slap
Caught mid-action, this classical statue seems to lash out at a woman reacting in mock pain, her hair and body frozen in dramatic motion.
15. Spider-Man Grabbed
A cosplayer dressed as Spider-Man stages a mock confrontation with a bronze statue, appearing to be caught mid-swing.
16. Railway Workers
A man places himself along a track sculpture in a way that makes it seem like he’s about to be hammered by a team of bronze workers.
17. Forged by the Smith
A visitor lies across a blacksmith statue’s anvil, humorously posing as if being hammered into shape.
18. Bear Hug
A mountain biker climbs into the arms of a bear statue, appearing to be dramatically cradled like a scene from a wilderness tale.
19. Whispered Secrets
In a tender illusion, a man leans in as if sharing a secret with a serene marble sculpture of a woman cupping her ear.
20. Razor Ready
A pink razor has been placed under the raised arm of a stone figure, making the statue appear to be mid-shave.
21. Synchronized Stride
A toddler unintentionally mimics the pose of a bronze statue child reaching forward, matching the group’s walking motion in perfect sync.More: Playing With Statues (23 photos)
Which one is your favorite?
