Statues

The Columns of San Marco (Saint Mark) and San Todaro (Saint Theodore) stand guard in front of Doge’s Palace and St. Marks Square in Venice, Italy. These two marble and granite pillars overlook the lagoon and represent the city’s two patrons: the winged lion (symbol of Saint Mark) and Saint Theodore (the Byzantine Saint of Amasea), the city’s first protector. A set of scale replicas of these famous landmarks can be found guarding the entrance to Epcot’s Italy Pavilion. Address: Piazza, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy Visitor Information: APT of the Province of Venice

Duke Kahanamoku, known as the father of modern surfing, is memorialized in bronze at the entrance to Kuhio Beach in Waikiki. This location was visited by the cast of Lilo & Stitch (2002) as seen during the “photo album” montage at the end of the film. Address: Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815 Visitor Information: Hawaii Tourism Authority

Fløyen or Fløyfjellet is a mountain in the Norwegian city of Bergen, offering great hiking, dining, and other activities. You can reach a viewpoint over 1,000 feet up (320 meters) the mountain by taking a funicular system called Fløibanen or by hiking up the designated path. Just behind the upper Fløibanen station, find a giant troll statue near the playground. This troll is a duplicate of the one found in Epcot’s The Fjording shop. This location is mentioned in our blog post: A Perfect Disney Day In Bergen, Norway Address: Fløyfjellet, 5014 Bergen, Norway Visitor Information: Fløibanen AS

This statue of world-famous champion marathoner Grete Waitz was originally sculpted in 1984 by Norwegian artist Nils Aas. The statue was first installed here, outside of Bislett Stadium, in Waitz’s hometown of Oslo, Norway. Later, a copy of the statue was presented to Walt Disney World to honor Waitz’s lifelong career, where it still stands (err, runs?) today in Epcot’s Norway Pavilion, near the Stave Church Gallery. Address: Corner of Louises gate and Sofies gate, 0168 Oslo, Norway Visitor Information: Located at the northeast entrance to Bislett Stadium (website available only in Norwegian)

In 1954, Jim Henson entered the University of Maryland as a major in studio art. From there, his career in art and entertainment exploded into what we know today, including the creation of The Muppets, a property now owned by The Walt Disney Company. You can find a bronze statue of Jim and his most famous creation, Kermit, sitting on a granite bench in a memorial garden on the campus of his alma mater. The garden was a gift from the class of 1994 and 1999 while the statue was a gift from the class of 1998. Artist Jay Hall Carpenter completed the statue which was presented in 2003. Address: Campus Dr, College Park, MD 20740 Visitor Information: Arboretum and Botanical Garden at The University of Maryland College Park

Muppet Dawn is a sculpture installed in Magruder Park in 2016, near where Jim Henson’s family lived in the late 1940s. The sculpture by artist Bill Culbertson (who also did some design work for Disney including The Dino Institute logo relief sculptures) honors Henson’s earliest work in TV by featuring characters from Sam and Friends on a flower planter. Among the characters is Kermit, who made his debut on the show before going on to become the leader of The Muppets franchise (now owned by The Walt Disney Company). Address: 3911 Hamilton St, Hyattsville, MD 20781 Visitor Information: City of Hyattsville

The Partners statue is an iconic statue of Walt and Mickey located in Disney Legends Plaza at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. Designed by Disney Legend Blaine Gibson, it’s one of five identical statues located around the world. Discover all of them and learn more in our blog post: Partners: The History, Details, and Insight Into Walt & Mickey’s Most Famous Statue. Address: 500 S Buena Vista St, Burbank, CA 91521 Visitor Information (not open to the public): The Walt Disney Studios Corporate Website

Legend has it that a dragon was terrorizing a small kingdom and had made its nest in the city’s water source. Each day the citizens would offer a human sacrifice as a distraction in order to access their water supply. When the kingdom’s princess was chosen as the offering, Saint George happened to be nearby and slayed the dragon, thus saving the princess and the kingdom. Statues depicting Saint George’s heroism can be found across Europe but the one here in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, erected in 1446 and perched high above the Marktplatz (market square) fountain, is credited as the inspiration for Epcot’s version found in the center of the Germany Pavilion. Address: Herrngasse 1, 91541 Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany Visitor Information: Rothenburg Tourismus Service

A garden adjacent to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences building contains statues, busts, and plaques honoring inductees of the Emmy’s Television Hall of Fame. Here, you can find tributes to Walt Disney (a prelude to the Partners statue, also sculpted by Blaine Gibson) and Disney Legend Jim Henson, among other TV stars that have connections to Disney. The garden is open to the public, free of charge, 24-hours a day though it may be closed during special events. This location is mentioned in our blog post: Partners: The History, Details, and Insight Into Walt & Mickey’s Most Famous Statue Address: 5220 Lankershim Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 91601 Visitor Information: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

The Little Mermaid Statue (Den lille Havfrue) is a bronze sculpture on the shores of Copenhagen harbor resembling one of author  Hans Christian Andersen‘s most famous characters and the inspiration for the 1989 Disney animated feature of the same name, The Little Mermaid. Unveiled in 1913 by sculptor Edvard Eriksen, the statue was a gift from Carl Jacobsen (find his beer in Epcot’s Norway Pavilion) to the City of Copenhagen. You can find a Disney tribute to this world-famous statue in the form of a small painting of the sculpture on the wall of The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure in Disney California Adventure. The grounds near the statue are open to the public 24-hours a day for convenient mermaid viewing. Address: Langelinie, 2100 København Ø, Denmark Visitor Information: Visit Copenhagen

Located just outside of Lucasfilm Headquarters in San Francisco, this life-sized sculpture of Yoda, star of the Star Wars franchise, is perched on top of a flowing fountain. Sculpted by Bay-area resident, Lawrence Noble, everyone’s favorite green Jedi can be visited any time as this fountain is open to the public in San Francisco’s Presidio Park. Read more and see lots more photos in our blog post: A Photo Tour of Lucasfilm’s San Francisco Headquarters. Address: 1 Letterman Dr, San Francisco, CA 94129 Visitor Information: Lucasfilm