In 1979, Madison, WI became the site of the “largest known migration of plastic flamingos in recorded history,” according to Destination Madison.
On the morning of September 4, 1979, University of Wisconsin staff and students were stunned to discover that overnight Bascom Hill had become covered in pink plastic flamingos. 1,008 of them to be exact, because they could only be ordered by the dozen, so there were 84 dozen pink flamingos.
The perpetrators of this garish offense were two members of a prankster group known as Pail & Shovel. One of them was Jim Mallon, who went on to produce Mystery Science Theater 3000. They had just won the student government election with promises such as dumping the school budget in pennies on the Library Mall and other pranks.
They even put the Statue of Liberty on frozen Lake Mendota:
The day of the flamingo would live in infamy and in 2009, on the 30th anniversary of the event, Madison City Council voted 15-4 to recognize the pink plastic flamingo as the city’s official bird.
Pink Flamingo Day
Pink Flamingo Day is recognized every year on June 23rd to celebrate the lawn ornament itself and its creator, Massachusetts artist Don Featherstone, who sculpted it in 1957 while working for Union Products.
Featherstone kept 57 pink plastic flamingos in his lawn, and he and his wife Nancy dressed in the same clothes every day for 35 years.
For that, as well as his contribution to our great weird state, we must recognize him as an honorary Wisconsinite.
Wisconsin Travel Guide to the Dark Side
Our new travel guide is here, with features on the dark side of Wisconsin Dells, Ed Gein road trip destinations, a look back at the strange case of the Mayville crop circles, and more.