Pink toilet seat and a dinosaur on it? Forget about the hideous part, just be grateful that Peter chooses to do it in private. Can you imagine what this little squirt in the picture goes through everyday?
The statue is supposed to symbolize the joie de vivre of living in Brussels - where happy people eat, drink...and drink...and then pee. Non-stop? In public? I watched the commotion this little guy makes as tour groups come and go in that little street corner the name I don't remember. People shook their heads. The Chinese, with a little frown and stifled smile have the question "Why?" written all over their faces. Yet they posed for a picture with the pissy boy!
The mascot pride of the unpretentious Belgian, Manneken-Pis, has quite a number of legends attached to its name. He was a naughty boy who peed inside a witch's house, so she froze him. A rich man who lost his son promised to make a statue of him doing what he did when he's found. The little beer-loving boy bravely put out a fire that threatened the wooden city. Take your pick.
The gaudy part is that this infant-sized statue sometimes finds itself dressed in one of 700 different costumes that visiting VIPs have brought for him. A clever one is an Elvis Pissley outfit - now that's definitely repulsive! Some even say that this "fountain" was originally built to provide drinking water for the public. Great stories about a great city.
Travel to some cities in South Asia and you'll get a different version of this "Men-Can-They-Piss" story. I'd rather not publish it! Google it, if you're curious - key words, the "U" word or public relief South Asia.
Don't worry Peter, one day you'll get it right. This is a perfectly normal biological function, no one is exempt from it. I grew up with six brothers, so I know. Sorry Peter, your Papa's piece of work is too funny and quite tempting to blog about. And at your expense! Please don't get pissed.
