Designer creates nail art inspired by Chicago's "rat hole"

Nail art inspired by Chicago "rat hole"

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The hype around the Chicago "rat hole" might have died down, but people still love what has become a nationally-known icon.

One designer loved it enough to turn it into art. Nail artist Jimmy (Bug) was so inspired by the rat hole they sculpted a nail with 3-D carving gels.

The impression of a rat – or some other rodent; many speculate it was probably a squirrel – in concrete in Roscoe Village has become famous across the country, even getting a shoutout from John Oliver on the season premiere of "Last Week Tonight" on HBO last week.

But some neighbors are sick of the attention it's getting. Now named "Splatatouille" following a contest by the Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce, it has become a tourist attraction to the point that many neighbors are annoyed with all the visitors, including a marriage proposal and a wedding.

The rat hole is not new – some have said it has been around for 20 years, but visitors have flocked to the site for weeks after a post on X, formerly Twitter, went viral in January.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.