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Sphinx And The Goop In Need Of Good Homes

July 19, 2009

The 18 month odyssey of Charlie Spillar is nearly over.

Charlie works for Valley of the Moon, a folk art attraction in Tucson, Arizona. In late 2007 he got a phone call: would he try to help save the sculptures from Magic Carpet Golf, a local landmark that was slated for demolition?

Charlie said yes, and he’s had a very busy year-and-a-half.

The giant Tiki head has already been moved to its new location, where  local artist Tom Prevet — who sculpted Tucson’s McDonald’s dinosaur — is performing reconstructive surgery ahead of the Tiki’s official dedication on August 29.

The big bull, re-named Tucson Toro, will arrive outside of its new home, a local steakhouse, next week.

The T-rex, now dubbed “Willard,” guards a scrap yard that Tucson insiders, like Charlie, call Scrapopolis. “It’s got big bright red eyes so it’s kinda vicious looking,” said Charlie.

Valley of the Moon has agreed to take four of the statues: the howling tree stump, the spider, the pygmy hut, and the castle. “They backed off The Goop,” said Charlie, referring to a fifth statue of a 3000-pound alien head. “But I’ve got some people already who are interested in it, so I’m sure I’ll be able to find a home for it.”

That leaves only the 30-foot-long, 20-foot-tall Sphinx, the largest sculpture and the most difficult to move. “There’s a lot of people interested,” said Charlie, “but it’ll take someone serious or maybe some Egyptian philanthropist that’s got a lot of property. You could pick it up with a giant helicopter, like they use to move tanks.”

Charlie asked that anyone interested in the Sphinx or The Goop e-mail him at cspillar@q.com, and said that the purchase price would be classified as tax-deductible donation to the Valley of the Moon.

“I’m dedicated to saving them,” he said, “but I’m also ready for the darned thing to be ended.”

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