Angry Billy Bluejay

Omaha, Nebraska

Blue Jays are notoriously angry birds, and Billy Bluejay is clearly pissed-off. Sculpted by Matthew Placzek in 2004, Billy is a bronze, six-foot-tall version of the Creighton University mascot, wearing a college letter sweater, with his feathery wingtips clenched into fists. Billy was originally "Billie" and looked more like a typical bird, but over the years developed human-like features, a more masculine name, and anger issues. Students gingerly rub Billy's beak for luck.

The statue proved so popular that Placzek received commissions for several other bronze college mascots, although none as photogenically fearsome as Billy Bluejay.