It is now five years since Dandy Lion with all his colourful eccentricity, dapper dress sense and divisive personality was unveiled to Elgin.
First impressions were… interesting.
Some branded the half-lion half-mermaid with a penchant for monocles as an expensive eyesore that should be torn down.
However, some also welcomed the bold newcomer as a colourful new 10ft addition to the High Street likely to appeal to children.
Five years on from the first drawings of Dandy Lion being released to an unsuspecting Elgin public, we investigated whether opinions of him have changed.
‘I’m delighted people have started to embrace Dandy Lion’
Dandy Lion was installed on Elgin High Street as part of the Castle to Cathedral to Cashmere project.
The initiative, which was funded by Moray Council, Elgin Bid, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and other groups, aimed to find new ways of shining a light on local heritage for new generations.
Dandy Lion was one of three statues installed in the centre of Elgin with his imminent arrival announced in October 2016.
His mermaid tail represented the former fish market that was held on the Plainstones, where he now stands, his cardigan paid tribute to the area’s woollen mill heritage and the dandelion on his coat recreated what workers wore when visiting Elgin to show they were looking for work.
And the top hat and monocle? Well, that was just to look dandy.
Former Vice Lord Lieutenant of Moray Jim Royan, who was chairman of Castle to Cathedral to Cashmere, stressed Dandy Lion was chosen by Elgin following a public vote, which had about 700 respondents – adding people had the chance to object before his arrival.
However, he believes the colourful creation has now found a place in the heart of many locals.
He said: “I’m absolutely delighted the community has started to embrace it. It’s a bit of personality and it tells Elgin’s story in a different way.
“The other two statues are historic but the Dandy Lion is of our time. I think it contributes significantly.
“One thing I would point out is that despite some people’s opinion of it, it has never been vandalised.
“Ok, people maybe put a traffic cone or a handbag on him to make him look silly but nobody has ever damaged him.”
Elgin tributes to Dandy Lion
Over the years Dandy Lion has inspired many heartfelt tributes among Elgin residents.
He has inspired Halloween costumes, crocheted recreations, drawings from children and been featured on websites across the world.
Shortly after he was unveiled he even inspired a range of cards from nearby stationery shop Pencil Me In with the slogan “haters gonna hate”.
Countless social media posts featuring Dandy Lion to make jokes about Elgin have also been made over the years.
However, when US-based website Atlas Obscura branded it Scotland’s “most hated statue” earlier this year many leapt to its defence.
What about the other statues?
Dandy Lion was joined by town drummer and Wolf of Badenoch statues in late 2016.
Both have also worked their way into the hearts of Elgin residents over the last five years – but in different ways.
Controversy surrounded the choice of the Wolf of Badenoch due to him being the man responsible for the devastating fire at Elgin Cathedral.
Today the statue has become a figure of fun and ridicule with people frequently attaching flags or items of clothing to it.
Meanwhile, the town drummer is a tribute to William Edward, who held the post for 60 years between 1760 and 1822.
Mr Royan added: “We got a strong reaction to the drummer, but it was a lot softer than the Dandy Lion.
“People really responded well to it, but we found it was the addition of the child playing with the dog and pretending to be the drummer that really made it.”