There’s weird and then there’s a lobster hybrid of Mickey Mouse. The 700-pound statue of the famous mouse with lobster claws for hands has made its long-awaited return back to Boston after nearly two decades.
The six-foot tall statue dubbed “Lobsta Mickey” was once a staple at Quincy Market where it entertained tourists and shoppers alike. The statue was created to celebrate the cartoon character’s 75th anniversary and was eventually sold in 2005 for $9,000 to an unknown bidder at an auction organized by Disney.
Lobsta Mickey became lore until Deon Point, the creative director for the Boston sneaker store Concepts, became fixated on tracking down the statue. It would be the perfect mascot for the brand that collaborates with Nike on a line of lobster-themed sneakers.
Point spent five years following online threads before finally spotting a listing for the unique Mickey Mouse statue on eBay. It had made its way to a New Jersey lawn, which meant it was in need of some repairs. It was discolored, split in sections and its concrete foundation had begun to crumble.
Point hired a local artist to refurbish and repaint the statue before unveiling the updated piece on Concepts’ Newbury Street showroom floor. “People were a little terrified,” Point said. “People think we created this thing, which, of course, we didn’t.”
The creative director has plans to keep Lobsta Mickey on display through the holidays, before finding a new, long-term home somewhere else in Boston.