Answer: Michael Jackson

In 1995 and 1996, nearly a dozen enormous statues popped up around the world standing thirty feet tall, weighing around 20,000 pounds, and displaying the sculpted visage of none other than the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

The statues were massive replicas of the statue Jackson had commissioned from sculptor Diana Walczak for the cover of his 1995 album HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book I. The sculpture portrayed Jackson in his then trademark pseudo-military costume of choice, stylized bandoleers across his chest, fists clenched, and jaw set as he gazed off into the distance. The album release was accompanied by a global tour and the statues served as a very high profile promotional item with the massive Michaels stationed in Los Angeles, Berlin, Paris, and even towed right down the Thames River in London on a barge.

While few of the statues remain today, the one in the Netherlands was donated by Jackson to a local Ronald McDonald House Charity which in turn auctioned it off. The statue was purchased by the owner of a local McDonald’s and, after Michael’s death in 2009, became a shrine for local fans. It remained at that location until it was removed in April 2019.