Whalamena

I have asked Lizzy twice now about this photo and both times she said they were on their way to the beach when they saw this whale, so they went over and had a picture taken. She didn't have any other information about it. I think it's such an artsy thing, I had to do some research. It took me a while, but I finally found the history of this guy.

He was built in 1960 for the Central Park Zoo. In those days he was called "Jonah's Whale" and he was just blue and his mouth was open so children could crawl inside. A Noah's Ark was nearby. Over time, people decided that it wasn't appropriate to have Biblical themed pieces in the zoo, so in the 1990's they were removed. Noah's Ark did not survive, but the whale (in very poor condition) was taken to a traffic island in Queens and renamed "Whalamena."

While in his new home, he was abused and was frequently attacked by vandals. Then in about 2006, he had a "mosaic makeover" and this is the piece you see today. The mouth is closed up now, possibly to prevent indigents from spending the night there. I found this history quite interesting, but I can understand why Lizzy didn't see anything really special about it. Especially considering that the whale is just sitting along the road somewhere with no signs to tell what it is or why it is there.

Jonah's Whale at Central Park Zoo, circa 1960. This is from a postcard. My LO was done using a previous Scarlet Lime kit - possibly a mix of kits. I couldn't resist this mosaic-looking button! Thanks for looking!