Cool Things

I post images of interesting and sometimes weird vehicles and roadside attractions and statues and things from around the world.

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

The specific photo of the fish bike in image.png was taken at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade in 2011.

These types of bicycle decorations are often created as part of quirky art projects or for participation in creative parades.

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

Ever seen a giant woman relaxing in the middle of a lake?

Back in 2011, Hamburg, Germany, became home to "Die Badende" (The Bather), a massive art installation in the Binnenalster lake.

#Art #Hamburg #RoadsideAttractions #CreativeArt #Throwback

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

What it is: A 2007 Toyota Yaris turned into an award-winning art car called A Little Bit of Nonsense by Randy Blair.

 The art: It was covered in thousands of glass pieces, marbles, and pop-culture toys using clear epoxy.

 The weight: The art added 4,000 pounds.

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

Heart of Trees by Jaume Plensa
Here is a slightly more detailed description of the artwork in ⁠image.png⁠:
The Figure: The bronze sculpture shows a seated human figure with its knees pulled up to its chest. Its arms and legs are locked together.

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

In ⁠this image you see the "dinosaur-sykkel" (dinosaur bicycle) located in Stavanger, Norway.

What: It is a custom tricycle hand-carved from styrofoam by Norwegian artist Markus Moestue to look like a Coelophysis dinosaur.

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

Van de Kamp's Windmill Bakeries

What it is: A vintage Van de Kamp’s Holland Dutch Bakery store, famous for its blue-and-white windmill design, workers in Dutch costumes, and wooden shoe planter out front.

Location: Los Angeles, California.

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

That is a Velorex, a very unique three-wheeled microcar from Czechoslovakia.

Instead of a normal metal body, these little cars were made with a frame of steel tubes covered in stretched vinyl or synthetic leather over padding.

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

The Empress house / statue / art / slide 

 What it is: A giant Sphinx-like sculpture in Tuscany, Italy, representing the Empress tarot card.

 The Artist: Built by Niki de Saint Phalle over nearly 20 years, starting in the late 1970s.

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

This is the Waterman Aerobile, an early attempt at making a flying car from back in the 1930s. 

Waldo Waterman designed it so the wings could be taken completely off. 

That meant a pilot could land at an airport, remove the wings, and drive it right down the street.

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

This cool picture shows a giant sculpture called "Perceiving Freedom."

It is located right on the grass at the Sea Point Promenade in Cape Town, South Africa.

Here are a few neat facts about it:
It is a massive pair of stainless steel sunglasses

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@EliteMan091 Why should I care? I don’t live in Kentucky?

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

This is a public art installation.

The watermark in the corner reads “Nooshafarin / Humans of Tehran”, which tells us:

• What: A sculpture of a white park bench being “lifted” by giant colorful balloons, tilted at an angle as if about to float away

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

This is a giant oversized cell phone sculpture at Disney’s Pop Century Resort in Orlando, Florida.

It’s part of Disney’s playful theme celebrating pop culture from different decades. 

This particular sculpture represents the 1990s section of the resort.

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

This photo captures Papa Burger an A&W Burger Family mascot perched beside the iconic Astroland Rocket atop Paul’s Daughter restaurant on the Coney Island boardwalk, Brooklyn, New York. 🚀🍔

Astroland opened in 1962 as a space-age theme park.

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

This is a sculpture symbolizing the invisible burden of motherhood and domestic labor. 

It depicts a woman bent under an enormous pile of household items on her back—including a washing machine, buckets, pots, pans, and other chores—while surrounded by small children.

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

This is “Something to Dream About”, a Salvador Dalí-themed art car from the 2025 Houston Art Car Parade. Here’s the full story:

It was created by art students and teachers at Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center High School in Houston.

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

This is “Urban Garden” by Seattle artist Ginny Ruffner — a very real, five-ton public sculpture installed in 2011 at 7th Avenue & Union Street in downtown Seattle.

It’s a massive steel structure featuring giant flowers a daisy, tulip, and bluebells

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

The "Orange Horse" car from image.png is a rolling piece of art with a cool history:

The Artist: It was built by David Best, a famous California sculptor who is also well-known for building the massive wooden temples at the Burning Man festival.

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

@Thespacetechguy Do you want a cup of coffee?

[Cool Things @CoolThinggs]

This is the Giraffe Childcare Center located in Boulogne-Billancourt, France.

It was designed by the architecture firm Houdart & Associés to bring a sense of play and imagination to the neighborhood.

The building features a giant yellow giraffe sculpture.