h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I don't know whether they still have them, but when I was in Lucerne last summer, the city was full of giant models of frogs. I don't know how many there are, but I must have counted well over 20. They stood about 3 feet tall, and were decorated in a variety of colours and styles. I think most of them were sponsored by a business close to their location. Two that stand out in my mind are the American Express frog, outside a big bank (whose name I forget), and the music frog outside the concert hall. There was also one that looked like a glitterball from a '70's disco.

It might just be a European thing, because I also saw a similar thing in Salzburg in Austria, where they had cows instead of frogs. There were over 100 of them, and visitors could buy guidebooks and postcards of them. They were eventually going to be auctioned off to raise money for charity I believe, but I had a lot of fun trying to find them all!

Not just a European thing, I don't think. It sounds very familiar to something I saw while visiting New Orleans a few weeks ago. All over town were these fish, all of approximately the same profile, but decorated in various themes, music, technology, etc. There was even a police fish devouring a striped convict in front of the central police station!

Güthwinë.

In Los Angeles, they are appropriately enough, angels.

They must be a good way to raise money or employ artists if they are world-pervasive.