Friends of Fair Park raising money to restore the Woofus sculpture
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) -- There are many landmarks at Fair Park, but few match the strange history of the Woofus.
In 1936, Texas was celebrating its Centennial with an exposition at Fair Park that drew nationwide attention, and even a visit from President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Artist Lawrence Tenney Stevens created several sculptures for the event including the Tenor and Contralto statues featured at the end of the Esplanade. One of his more whimsical creations is tucked behind the Cotton Bowl. A weird, squat creature known as the Woofus.
"It's an amalgamation of six animals," explained Matt Wood, president of the non-profit group Friends of Fair Park. "The head of a sheep, the neck and mane of a horse, the body of a pig, body of a pig, turkey feathers, duck wings and of course the longhorns."
According to an old news article, Woofus was simply a working name, but it stayed. The statue, however, did not.
"Sometime in 1941 it was damaged," Wood said. "So it was taken down to be repaired and it disappeared, and nobody really knows where it went."
Wood said there were lots of theories about the fate of the first Woofus.
"Allegedly there was a group of religious folks who thought it was satanic," he said. "People feel like maybe it was destroyed."
He told us others felt that maybe it was melted down for the war effort. There's also at least one story that somebody thinks it's buried on the back part of the fair somewhere.
"In any event, we don't know where it is," Wood said.
The pedestal sat empty for decades until the late 1990s when Friends of Fair Park started fundraising efforts to build a new Woofus. Artist David Newton spent eight months recreating the original, but Woofus the second would never make it to Fair Park.
"He was nearly done with it and about to take delivery, and his foundry burned," Wood said. Newton had to start all over again.
As they say, the third time's a charm. The current version of Woofus started his reign in 2002.
"He evokes emotion," Wood said. "I think it's part of the great tradition about what's left at Fair Park."
Woofus is 20 years old now, and he needs a little touch-up. Friends of Fair Park is raising money to recoat the exterior and restore the horns. They also sell mini versions if you'd like a Woofus of your own.
