The iconic children’s character, Elmer the Elephant, has come to Elephant and Castle in a trail of community-designed sculptures.
The Elmer trail, the first in London, has been unveiled to mark the 30th birthday of the beloved animal.
Ten sculptures can be found as part of the trail around Elephant Park and surrounding areas including Trafalgar Place, Walworth Square and Sayer Street.
“It has been fantastic to see Elmer go off on his own adventures over the past 30 years, but never has he appeared in his namesake, Elephant Park,” said David McKee, author of Elmer the Patchwork Elephant.
“I can’t wait to see generations of Londoners coming together in Elephant Park to see these colourful, inspiring, brilliant sculptures based on Elmer.”
Each of the sculptures, co-designed with local groups and school pupils, has an anagram to solve, and if all the answers are inputted on the Elephant Park website, trail walkers are given the chance to win an Elmer prize pack.
A special Elmer celebration day will be held at Elephant Park on Thursday 29 August, featuring performances from the Blue Elephant Theatre, an Elmer-themed tea party – and the chance for children to meet Elmer himself.
The sculptures will be in place until late October and then will be auctioned, with the money raised going to local community causes.
“The Elmer sculptures are a fantastic spectacle and showcase a wonderful wealth of artistic talent,” added Charlie Langhorne of Wild in Art, which co-organised the artwork.
“We hope everyone will enjoy discovering them.”