Pumuckl figure hides on Munich fountain rocks

A bronze figure of the mischievous goblin Pumuckl has been secretly placed on a rock at Munich’s Wittelsbacher Fountain, apparently several years ago, BR24 reported on Wednesday.

The figure shows Pumuckl holding a beer mug. Munich’s municipal building department said the sculpture was known and tolerated, after the Munich newspaper Abendzeitung first reported on it.

The sculpture apparently comes from Ukrainian-Hungarian artist Mihály Kolodko, who has also created a miniature statue of Nuremberg artist Albrecht Dürer. That figure was officially installed in the courtyard of Nuremberg’s Tucherschloss Museum as a gift from Hungary.

Kolodko’s website lists the Pumuckl work under the title “Thirst”. A photograph shows the sculpture, which is only a few centimetres tall, peeking out of the pocket of the traditional Bavarian leather trousers worn by the artist. In an Instagram video, the small figure sits among the rocks of the fountain.

Pumuckl was originally drawn by artist Barbara von Johnson. The stories about the goblin and master carpenter Eder were written by Ellis Kaut. The character has also appeared in television series and several films.

Kolodko is known as a guerrilla artist who leaves small sculptures in cities including Budapest. Some works carry political messages. One example is a small tank with its gun barrel pointing limply downwards, titled “Ruszik Haza!”, meaning “Russians, go home”.