Googly eyes on statues put Oregon city and residents at odds. ‘Let us have some fun’

City leaders may not be pleased by the googly eyes popping up on public statues in Bend, but at least some residents in the Oregon city hope they continue.

In a Dec. 4 Instagram post, the city asks residents to stop adhering googly eyes to statues in roundabouts.

“While the googly eyes placed on the various art pieces around town might give you a chuckle, it costs money to remove them with care to not damage the art,” the post reads.

The post includes photos of googly-eyed statues of a deer and fawn, as well as a spherical metal sculpture sporting googly eyes.

The adhesives can damage the statues, Bend officials caution.

Residents, however, were less than receptive to the city’s plea in comments on the post.

“These googly eyes give me the hope to move forward each day,” read one comment.

“Let us have some fun,” wrote another poster.

“Googly eyes keep my mental health in a good place,” someone else wrote. “LONG LIVE GOOGLY EYES!”

“Nah the googly eyes have to stay.... read the room,” another comment read.

Others mocked the city, saying it’s addressing googly eyes instead of other community problems they consider more pressing.

Bend is about a 165-mile drive southeast from Portland.