Where are Michael Jackson's giant HIStory statues 30 years later?

BBC News

3 days ago

In June 1995, a giant statue of Michael Jackson provided a surreal sight in the heart of London when it was floated on a barge down the River Thames.This 32ft (10m) pop colossus was just one of 10 that appeared around the world to promote the superstar's album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I.The fibreglass titans then followed Jackson on his global tour.Thirty years later - and 16 years after his death - the King of Pop continues to attract controversy, but some of the statues still stand defiantly in unexpected corners of the world.
How the King of Pop became fibreglass
Jackson's double album was a mix of his greatest hits alongside 15 new tracks including Earth Song, which would spend six weeks at the top of the UK chart.In America, sculptor Diana Walczak consulted with the pop star to create a clay sculpture that was digitally scanned for the album cover.Hertfordshire-based artist Stephen Pyle, who had built sets for worldwide productions of The Phantom of the Opera, was asked by a Sony employee called Robbie Williams (not that one) to make 10 huge statues based on this album cover.
He hired sculptor Derek Howarth to craft the statue in polystyrene sections, which Mr Pyle used to make moulds and fibreglass casts.Everything was assembled in Chris and Liz Clark's workshop at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, where they were painted to look like stone.The team worked without access to Ms Walczak's prototype, which led to them looking slightly different.Mr Pyle says: "Making 10 statues in four months was quite the challenge, but thanks to Derek, Chris, Liz and the rest of my workshop team at the time, we became quite the efficient factory for Michael Jackson monoliths!"The fates of some of the statues is uncertain, and they may have been locked in storage or destroyed. But others have remained on show in some unlikely locations.
A McDonald's in the Netherlands
For many years, a King of Pop monument towered over a McDonald's car park in the village of Best in the Netherlands.Restaurant owner Peter Van Gelder bought the statue from Sony at a 1996 charity gala for the Ronald McDonald Children's Fund."The restaurant had just opened and didn't yet have the big yellow M," he says. "It was my intention to put it down as an eye-catcher."Jackson fans began flocking to the spot, taking photos and playing his music. Crowds became so frequent that Peter had to fence off the statue to stop people climbing on it.Each year on Jackson's birthday, and on the day he died, it became a shrine, with fans gathering to play music, hang pictures and leave flowers.
Things changed in 2019 after HBO's Leaving Neverland documentary levelled new allegations of child sexual abuse against Jackson. "In the Netherlands there was not such a strong reaction and my intention was to just leave the statue there," explained Peter.But he said pressure from the fast food chain's US headquarters led to its removal and storage in a "secret location".McDonald's tells the BBC: "In 2019, following the documentary, it was decided to remove the statue."We felt and feel it is important for all guests to feel comfortable when visiting one of our restaurants."Peter hopes to donate the statue to a fan club, but due to its size a building permit is required. "Many have approached me but still no-one has been able to get a permit," he says."The years have passed since his death and I've noticed that the interest in the statue is decreasing... So the Michael Jackson statue lies resting under a tarp in an insignificant shed."
A nightclub in Austria
The courtyard of an abandoned club in a small town 18 miles (30km) west of Vienna is not the place you'd expect to find a towering effigy of the King of Pop.Owner Franz Josef Zika won the statue in 1998 at a radio charity auction in aid of the Red Cross, and spent 150,000 Austrian Schillings (£9,300).He recalls: "The big problem was when I went home and had to tell my uncle, who was the family boss, and he said, 'You're crazy!'"Visitors to The Baby'O in Judenau-Baumgarten may have been surprised to find Michael Jackson in the smoking area, but Franz saw it as a great way to promote his club."There were also many bars next to the statue, so there was a party around Jackson," he says.
Last year the club was forced to close after a new residential building was built nearby.Now Franz wants to find somebody to open a small cafe or pizzeria at the venue, but needs to get rid of the pop monolith first.He said: "I've been trying to sell it for two years. I would be happy if I get €25,000 (£21,000) for it."I've had some interest from Sweden and some in Hungary, but the problem is people don't have enough money."What if he can't find a buyer? "We don't know. Maybe I'll send it to Mars. Elon will do this for me!" he laughs.
A Swiss fairground
For more than 50 years, an annual fairground event called Luna Park has taken place in Lausanne, Switzerland.It is among these blinking lights and brightly coloured rides that another Jackson statue can be found.It has been given slight refurbishment, with gold paint added to his faux military uniform.Organisers tell the BBC they bought it 2008 from a man who had purchased it from Sony years earlier.The statue has not been displayed for a few years, but they do not say why - however they stress it is not for sale.
A miniature town in South Africa
When Jackson brought his HIStory tour to South Africa, he had one of the 10 statues with him.Santarama Miniland, which opened in Johannesburg in the 1970s to showcase the country in miniature, is now abandoned. Attractions have been removed and the miniature train no longer runs, but a repainted MJ monolith still stands, visible in Google Earth satellite images.Blogger Heather Mason of 2summers.net visited the park in 2013.She recalls: "It was quite strange to see a giant blue Michael Jackson statue in the middle of Miniland, where the general theme is for things to be smaller than life, not larger than life. "But I certainly appreciated it! The MJ statue was the best photo op in the park."
An Italian amusement park
A fresh coat of paint and new pair of sunglasses have not made this fibreglass figure too unrecognisable.In June 2019, Europark Idroscalo Milano unveiled the "restored" statue after a Jackson-themed flash mob.An announcer told the gathered crowd: "This statue is dedicated to all of you, who keep on loving him through the years."The dramatic reveal came just months after the Leaving Neverland documentary.A park spokesperson tells the BBC the statue was purchased at the end of the tour but remained abandoned for many years before ending up in the park.They said the titan had its face covered for a while following allegations of child abuse because park owners at the time "did not want to show that MJ welcomed children at the park, so it was transformed almost into a robot".Despite the work to restore and repaint the statue, the park's owners have now put the refurbished statue up for sale.