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The organisers promised that the festival would feature local farmers and agriculture experts who will educate those interested in their trade. Other future plans for the statue include road signs pointing tourists towards the statue, seats next to it to be used for photographs, a potato museum, and a
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Every
December, the statue is decorated to resemble a traditional Christmas tree; a star is placed at the top, lights are draped to the floor, and tinsel surrounds its base. It was announced in July 2023 that the Xylofagou Big Potato International Festival would be happening around September 7 and 8.
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and stated, "Xylofagou has a long legacy of potato growing and used to be the main potato grower in Cyprus. This helped the village grow into the 10,000-strong community it is today." He later stated that anyone seeing anything else other than a potato was "guilty of a dirty mind" and said he was
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shape. While some locals in
Xylofagou like the statue, some have been upset with its creation, due to the nature of its appearance provoking negative reaction across social media; they have expressed a belief that it has brought the village into disrepute globally. Tasou defended his decision to
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The statue cost €8,000 to create and is located at the centre of
Xylofagou, commemorating the potato-growing history of Xylofagou and the villages around it. It was created ahead of the annual local potato festival. It is shaped after the Spunta potato breed, which is grown in the village and is
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on 1 January 2022 at around 3:30 am, causing €4,000 in damages. It was confirmed to not be weather-related, though the perpetrators were never caught despite a €500 reward for information.
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with a post that said, "Other countries have instantly recognizable monuments. Now we have ours." He also sarcastically compared it to other landmarks such as the
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463:"The small village of Cyprus is rich in potatoes, and the "big potato" sculpture is made for publicity, which is destroyed on New Year's Eve"
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famous for its abnormally long shape. It is guarded at night to prevent vandalism. Tasou stated that he was inspired by
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186:"Oddly-shaped potato statue in Cypriot village goes viral for all the wrong reasons | indy100"
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The statue has received mixed reviews, with much of its popularity being sarcastic due its
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unbothered by any criticism due to the statue bringing publicity to the village.
268:"Bizarre 'big potato' statue that went viral for rude shape cut down by vandals"
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396:"Xylofagou prepares for 'big international potato' festival | Cyprus Mail"
216:"'Viral' Big Potato garners attention at home and abroad | Cyprus Mail"
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161:"A Village in Cyprus Is Now Home to This 16-Foot-Tall Potato Statue"
422:"The Giant Potato Monument In Cyprus Gets Its Christmas Make Over"
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128:, the former Cypriot ambassador to the UK, mocked the statue on
316:"'Penis-like' potato statue toppled two months after erection"
367:"Landmark 'big potato' monument vandalized on New Year's Day"
562:"Phallic-shaped 'big potato' statue vandalized in Cyprus"
342:"Cyprus' Big Potato can't stay erect after rough night"
536:"Statue of giant potato goes viral for phallus shape"
510:"Cyprus's homage to the humble spud goes viral"
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485:"'Big Potato' war breaks out over landmark"
294:"Cyprus' Big Potato Get Vandalised On NYE"
242:"Village 'Big Potato' homage goes viral"
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