The King of Pop was born in Gary, Indiana and grew up alongside his nine siblings. Under the tutelage and rough guidance of his father, he would become an international sensation forging a 45-year career. His 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time, and the video was rather impressive as well, featuring Michael Jackson as a hip-shaking zombie and fluffy werewolf.
No matter what one believes about Michael’s personal life, the sheer fact remains that he was one of the most popular performers the world has ever seen. A consummate showman, he is adored worldwide and has been the inspiration for many statues across the globe. These ten are the most interesting, strange and funny.
9. Brazilian Favela
Michael filmed his first They Don’t Care About Us video in the Santa Marta favela of Rio de Janeiro and in the city of Salvador. A protest song, it drew the attention of Spike Lee, who ultimately directed two videos for the song. Brazilians officials were concerned about the pop star filming in a favela, because they believed it would portray a bad image in the media, but ultimately the King of Pop won and the video was a success.
The video featured local musicians and residents, and brought to light the issues that exist in favelas. The event was memorialized in a bronze statue of the singer that rises high over the shantytown, alongside a rainbow coloured mosaic of Jackson’s face on what appears to be a postage stamp. Arms outstretched, the skinny statue looks more like Lindsay Lohan than Jackson, but it keeps the visitors coming.
8. Football Museum
This waxy looking statue of MJ was commissioned by business magnate Mohamed Al-Fayed and unveiled outside of Craven Cottage on the grounds of Fulham Football Club, where Al-Fayed was chairman in 2011. Apparently a huge fan and friend of Michael, Al-Fayed was the brunt of criticism when the statue was placed on display, mainly because it looked stiff and constipated.
Art critics called it ugly kitsch, but Al-Fayed retaliated by saying “If some stupid fans don’t understand and appreciate such a gift, they can go to hell.” Fulham’s record improved, however, after placement of the statue. When new Fulham chairman Sahid Khan took office, he had the statue removed. It was placed at the National Football Museum in Manchester in May 2014 and Fulham’s record took a plunge. Maybe Al-Fayed was onto something?
7. Jackson As Abe Lincoln
There are Hard Rock Hotels everywhere and yes, they’ve been more successful than Planet Hollywood. I bet that takes you back. Still, no Hard Rock Hotel is as awesome as the one in Penang, Malaysia that features a white-washed Michael Jackson-cum-Abraham Lincoln welcoming all visitors. Its similarity to the Lincoln Monument aside, the sculpture is actually decent. It captured his facial features pretty well.
It was created by SCULPTUREATWORK in Kuala Lumpur and guests just love it. Though the café at the hotel is primarily themed around The Beatles, it does feature some other artists’ memorabilia. We’re fairly certain Sir Paul dislikes that statue, considering that MJ bought the rights to most of The Beatles’ classic songs.
6. Chinese Sculpture Park
A bronze figure of Michael, arms outstretched with a smile on his face, is an oft-visited feature of the Guangzhou Sculpture Park in Guangzhou City, China. The singer/dancer extraordinaire visited a nearby town in the same province in 1987. After Michael’s death, the people rallied together and raised the funds needed to build a statue.
The opening ceremony was also used as an opportunity to raise money for charity and spread Michael’s message of love. The statue was sculpted by Zeng Kang Lu, who managed to uncannily capture the likeness of the entertainer. The Chinese and Hong Kong fan clubs later commissioned a copy of the statue and had it placed in the Overland Park Arboretum Botanical Garden in Kansas.
5. Italian Amusement Park
Michael Jackson was a child at heart, which often garnered him a lot of criticism and made him a great punchline. He loved childish things so much that he even had his own amusement park built at his estate, Neverland Ranch. Who can blame him? If you give a star billions of dollars, he’s going to want a rollercoaster.
So, it’s appropriate that Magicland Theme Park in Valmontone, Rome should have a Michael Jackson statue. Jackson wanted to build an amusement in that province of Rome, which inspired the park to pay homage to him. The statue is an accessible, smiling Jackson, casually scratching his head.
Maybe he’s thinking about a new song. Maybe he’s just trying to figure out which ride to try next. Whatever it is, this could start a rash of Jackson statues popping up at amusement parks worldwide.
4. Tuen Mun Temple
In 1987, The Gloved One visited TVB City in Hong Kong and met singer Alex To, who commissioned a sculpture after Jackson’s death. The copper statue was erected in Shan Yuan Temple in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. The statue replicates Jackson’s Smooth Criminal attire and immortalises him in mid-funky fresh dance move.
Jermaine Jackson’s ex-wife, Alejandra, and her daughter with Randy Jackson attended the unveiling ceremony. You’re probably wondering about that titbit of information, so let’s clarify. Alejandra has two children with Randy Jackson, brother to Jermaine and Michael. She left Randy, married Jermaine, had two kids with him and then they divorced. Reality TV, here we come!
Musician Howard McCrary sang I’ll Be There, and his performance was actually very nice. If you’re bored or you have ten minutes to spare, you can watch the video of the ceremonyhere.
3. McDonalds Parking Lot
What’s the best way to advertise a new album? With giant Colossus of Rhodes sized statues of…yourself. The most expensive music product promotion ever, Sony built 9 32-foot tall statues of Michael Jackson wearing bandoliers to advertise for the HIStory album. The statues were placed in strategic locations in Europe in 1995, and one even took a barge trip down the River Thames.
Some statues were dismantled and others may be in storage at Sony, but this one has remained standing in a McDonalds’ parking lot in Best, The Netherlands. There’s something appropriate about a personality as gargantuan as Jackson being next to a place as common as McDonalds. He was a worldwide phenomenon among people from all walks of life, kind of like the Royale.
2. Austrian Park
Another interesting statue of Michael is in Landesbahnpark in Mistelbach an der Zaya, Austria. The project was the brainchild of fan Martina Kainz and funded by donations. This statue, carved by Czech sculptor Daniel Kartakova, replaced a bronze bust of the superstar, which had a better face, but worse hair.
The new statue is another one of Jackson frozen in time. He points, eyes slightly closed and hand across his stomach, which could indicate a resting position or possibly gas. He’s whitewashed, again, but with a few golden accents, which make his tie look like butter. He’s also wearing the Smooth Criminal outfit, which seems to be a common theme among sculptures of Jackson. It would be great if sculptors would use some other attire, like the gold lame’ costume from Remember the Time or maybe some sequins ala Off The Wall.
1. Michael And Bubbles
The funniest of all statues, by far, is Jeff Koons’ rendition of Jackson and his pet chimpanzee, Bubbles. It is at once the most garish, obnoxious and flattering recreations of the star ever. Koons put a concerted effort into positively capturing Jackson’s visage in porcelain and gave him a transcendent quality that is lacking from many of the other depictions on this list. Also, he didn’t skimp on the gold detailing, highlighting both Jackson and the ape with his Midas touch. The use of gold alludes to mass-produced Christian iconography according to the artist.
Even though the sculpture is kitschy, the artist sought to capture Jackson’s larger than life persona and has stated that he appreciated Michael Jackson’s “radicality.” The work examines self-exploration and uses Bubbles as commentary on human nature.
Three of these iconic statues were produced. One was sold at auction and the other two are on display in Athens and San Francisco. Bubbles wasn’t immediately available for comment, but we do know he is living peacefully at a sanctuary in Florida.
Where are your favourite statues of the King of Pop? Do you think someone should make a statue of Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow or Captain Eo?
I think a Captain Eo statue of Michael Jackson would be cool. Not to mention a Gold Pants statue…
Statues 5 and 6 really capture Michael’s face and his joy. Statue 1 doesn’t look remotely like Michael Jackson though it is very famous. Were it not for the gold costume and the presence of Bubbles (also not a good likeness), I wouldn’t know who it was. I also like Statue 8 though I can only see half his face.
Wow! all are superb except 2.My wish someone should make a statue of Michael Jackson in India
Luckily I’d visit the HISTORY statue at Best, Guangzhou, China & the HK statues. Love to visit the rest of them and it would be wonderful to a have Captain EO for Michael as well.
Beautiful statues! My dream is to visit them all. The tone of the post is not very respectful to Michael, however. Oh, well. Journalists, bashirs and kardashians come and go. Michael on the other hand was One of a Kind. No one will ever replace him. Ever. He spread his magic, art, love and laughter throughout the world and will forever be the Beloved Messenger of God to remind himankind of the truly important things in life. The only people I can compare him to (although each one of them is unique and a genius) are Michelangelo, Mozart and Van Gogh. Every genius is perceived as strange and misunderstood but you can’t try and judge a genius using the tools of ‘averageness’ and mediocrity.