Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture

A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of damaging property.

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage captured a individual placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

The following day the reported event, the local mayor stated that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without harming the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

The mayor said the local government would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.

At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.