Giant Fork

Pasadena, California

In 2009 a giant fork appeared overnight in a traffic median in Pasadena, California. No one seemed to know who was responsible for the guerrilla installation of the 18-foot-tall rogue utensil; city official said that no permits has been issued.

The shiny structure remained cryptic cutlery until a man named Ken Marshall fessed up and admitted the sculpture was a prank meant to honor the 75th birthday of his friend, Bob Stane (who owned a nearby coffee shop).

It turns out that a small crew of well-wishers, dressed as Cal-Trans workers, dug a hole in the night and "stuck a fork in it," then the artwork was secured in a concrete and steel bed. Marshall said that he cooked up the idea, inspired by the way that he and Stane often brought up how amusingly awesome it would be to see a literal "fork in the road."

Marshall said that he wanted to donate his giant fork to the city and hoped that it would be accepted as a permanent fixture -- which it was in October 2011.