The artist who created a controversial sculpture for Tulsa’s Cry Baby Hill has submitted revised concepts of his initial design.
According to the Tulsa World and other area media outlets, Ken Kelleher of New Hampshire provided a more bicycle-centric look to his proposed 21-foot-tall “Cry Baby Cry” statue.
The new variations show the same figure wearing a cycling cap and high-top sneakers and/or riding a bicycle.
Kelleher’s initial design proved unpopular in many quarters in Tulsa — partly because of the appearance of the statue (which seems to borrow a lot from the Big Boy Restaurants mascot) and partly because a local artist wasn’t chosen.
About 2,500 people have signed an online petition urging city officials to reject the design. Kelleher would be paid $250,000 for the sculpture from a voter-approved sales tax.
Even longtime Tulsa resident and “Route 66: The Mother Road” author Michael Wallis voiced his opposition to the original statue, according to KTUL-TV.
“I don’t want to see the capital of Route 66 get tarnished,” said Tulsa icon and author Michael Wallis. He literally wrote the book on Route 66 and is not a fan of the statue.
“I’m sure Cyrus Stevens Avery the father of Route 66, the namesake of that plaza, is rolling in his grave out at Rose Hill cemetery,” he said.
Cry Baby Hill, located a stone’s throw from Route 66 near the Arkansas River, is a legendary part of the Tulsa Tough bicycle races where often-costumed revelers cheer or taunt cyclists going up the hill.
(Image of a revised “Cry Baby Cry” statue via KJRH-TV)