Skip to Main Content

Big Babies with Barcode Faces.

Barcode Babies (Gone)

Field review by the editors.

Palm Springs, California

Unveiled on June 5, 2018, the "Palm Springs Babies" -- as they're called locally -- are the work of Czech Republic artist David Cerny. They were originally attached to a TV tower in Prague, but when the tower began having stability problems (perhaps caused by having eight-foot-tall babies hanging on it) the artworks were removed and shipped to Palm Springs. They now have a much more stable play area, posed as if crawling around in a dug-out sandpit.

Big Babies with Barcode Faces.

Aside from their size, the babies are memorable because their cute little faces have been replaced with punched-in bar codes. Cerny has said that this represents the increasing dehumanization of humanity, especially the world's younger generations, whose individual characteristics will eventually be reduced to scannable 1s and 0s.

At first the Babies were routinely rearranged in the sandpit, and the plan was that in 2020 they would crawl elsewhere, when the pit would be filled in for a condo development. But the pandemic put those plans on hold, and the Babies are still in the pit.

Barcode Babies

Directions:
West edge of the city, across the street from the Palm Springs Art Museum. In a sandpit just north of W. Tahquitz Canyon Way, between N. Museum Drive and Belardo Rd.
Hours:
Removed in May 2023.
Status:
Gone

More Quirky Attractions in California

Stories, reports and tips on tourist attractions and odd sights in California.

Explore Thousands of Unique Roadside Landmarks!

Strange and amusing destinations in the US and Canada are our specialty. Start here.
Use RoadsideAmerica.com's Attraction Maps to plan your next road trip.

My Sights

My Sights on Roadside America

Create Your Own Bizarre Road Trips! ...Try My Sights

Mobile Apps

Roadside America app: iPhone, iPad Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! ...More

Roadside Presidents app: iPhone, iPad Roadside Presidents app for iPhone, iPad. POTUS landmarks, oddities. ...More

California Latest Tips and Stories

Latest Visitor Tips

Sight of the Week

Sight of the Week

JFK's World Famous Twine Ball, Highland, Wisconsin (Mar 18-24, 2024)

SotW Archive

USA and Canada Tips and Stories

More Sightings