The Cardiff Kook is a metal statue of a surfer erected in the city of Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, USA. The statue is found on the west side of California Highway 101. The statue is of a male surfer riding a shortboard. However, the surfer's stance is that of a longboarder, or even a beginning surfer. In surfer slang, a "kook" is a person who rides straight into shore, rather than riding along the wave face as advanced surfers do. So, the statue got the nickname the Cardiff Kook (the official name was Magic Carpet Ride). The sculptor Matthew Antichevich never could have anticipated that the statue would get an unflattering name as Kook. The Cardiff locals are not content to leave the Kook statue alone. Instead, about once a week, locals dress him up in some costume related to the season or some event. The local government seems to tolerate the decorations, but after a few days, city workers remove the costume/decorations, and the Kook statue reverts to his original self. There's no word on what happens when two different groups want to decorate the statue at the exactly the same time in the wee hours! Is there a waiting list in the secret Kook decorating underground?!

         The following is a selective list of decorations of the Cardiff Kook:

Above: The 'Cardiff Kook' statue located near the ocean in southern California, U.S.A. He's been 'decorated' with some attire, and he's holding a giant engagement ring on a pillow in his left hand. Date of photo: June, 2011 Photo copyright 2011, www.scenebank.com

                               For your viewing pleasure →

This video was shot on a nice sunny summer day of 2007
in southern California, USA.

It shows mostly longboarders.

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