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Friday Funnies 11-Oct-2012 At 9:50:11 PM f_abe

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Due to IT ineptitude I was unable to get a photo up, but check out the border watch website if you can't believe that this constitutes journalism in SA's 2nd largest city...2 pages in the local rag a couple of weeks back.
Not quite the Toolondo fish man, but at least our Lego man survived his hot weather dress up...

Lego Man brings smiles to Mount Gambier

By EMMA D'AGOSTINO
Sept. 19, 2012, 9:17 a.m.

WHEN the rain is away, Mount Gambier's own giant Lego Man comes out to play.

At first, city residents spotted a tall man doing a lap around the iconic Blue Lake with a Lego head.

But one little boy, although impressed, appeared to notice the headpiece was a step short of a full costume.

"The kid asked, 'Mummy why doesn't he have the full suit?'" the city's colourful character told The Border Watch.

From then on, Legoman said, civilian clothing simply would not do.

So he purchased over 130 metres of cotton, a heap of felt, a box of safety pins and one-and-a-half litres of glue, along with a huge piece of foam.

And when he got home, Lego Man set to work.

"We come in pieces," he chuckled.

Lego Man and his trusty assistant Lego Mum spent a month hand-sewing and constructing the full costume, which literally comes in pieces.

Suiting up means donning special Lego Man shoes,

Lego Man legs, hands, a torso and the iconic Lego Man head.

Lego Man told The Border Watch he had considered padding out his arms too, but decided he needed some support for the occasional accident.

"I've tripped before," he said.

And standing at well over six feet tall, the Blue Lake city's giant Lego Man certainly had some height to fall.

He does not know exactly how tall he is, even without the suit.

But Lego Man does know that he outstrips the average height chart in most doctor's surgeries.

"The scale only goes so high," he said.

He is also taller than most door frames, and had to duck in The Border Watch office to avoid knocking his head.

It's not the first time the man beneath the suit has wowed an Australian audience with an attention-grabbing adventure.

Seven years ago, the 24-year-old collapsed on a traffic island dressed as Ned Kelly.

"I didn't know the armour would get that hot," he said, explaining he did not think to take a water bottle along.

His suit was made from two discarded computer monitors.

But what motivates him to devote Mount Gambier's rare sunny days to the effort of becoming a supersized foam toy is the reaction it elicits from the locals.

"I do it to make people smile - seeing a six-foot tall Lego Man would cheer anyone up," Lego Man said.

The man said the community's response to Lego Man - whose head he had initially borrowed from a friend, who created it for a party - had been electric.

On one outing as just Lego Head, the emerging local identity stumbled on a wedding party.

"One of the bridesmaids walked over and was asking 'can you take a photo with us for the wedding?'" he said.

"I should have dressed for the occasion, but Lego Man didn't have ties."

And after he had made the rest of his suit, Lego Man started venturing out on more walks.

One of them was around Adelaide's AVCon, or Anime and Video Games Convention, where he attracted the attention of a camera crew.

To get there, he took three bags of Lego Man pieces on a bus to the state capital.

Lego Man has also been out on the town with the suit, much to the excitement of Mount Gambier's revellers, and once walked from Wireless Road West to Commercial Street East.

"Lego Man was very sweaty - I could've melted that day," he said.

But by far his most popular jaunt remains his laps of the Blue Lake, a feat which is drawing increasing attention via social media such as Facebook.

As the weather improves, Lego Man said he expects to see more photos of himself online.

"I'm the only one in the world - unique," he said.

"There's one in America too, but he's only got a fibreglass head."

Lego Man is hopeful for a future filled with a Lego Car, a Lego Cup and - perhaps most importantly - a Lego Lady.

His idea of an "epic" experience would be visiting any of the many Legoland theme parks.

But until then, Lego Man said he was thinking of new ways to put his suit to good use.

"I might be going for the Zombie Walk as Zombie Lego this year," he said.

"Or do the Fun Run in the Lego Suit - I'm even considering visiting sick kids at the hospital."

And what should people do if they spot him?

"Just smile," Lego Man said