Erect Big Potato in Cyprus gets hard laughs

A potato statue in Cyprus went viral on Wednesday just hours after it was erected by Xylofagou locals, who said ridicule on social media was good publicity for the community.

Xylofagou official Kokos Tasou, said to be the inspiration behind a new statue dubbed the Big Potato, told local media on Wednesday that his community was well known for its potato production and wanted to dedicate a monument to the starchy vegetable.

As soon as photos of the statue were published online, social media users were quick to give their own interpretation, with many people including sexual innuendos and other subtle remarks in their comments.

A local up-and-coming comedian running Georgiou’s World page on Facebook said he could “wholeheartedly say we are the laughing stock of Europe.”

“We've managed to turn Xylofagou into the hosts of the 2021 International Penis Awards,” Georgiou wrote.

But Tasou, who said he was inspired after seeing Big Fish in Ireland, believes any publicity is good publicity.

“I want to see this potato become a point of reference in the community and I am actually glad for all these negative comments, because this is good publicity,” he said.

The Xylofagou representative went on to say that the work was incomplete, while in the future guests would be able to sit on wooden seats and enjoy fries in a new soda fountain.