Giraffe gaffe

Uhh....I couldn't believe my eyes when I read this report in The Malaysian Insider last Tuesday. The story was about this Lego model of a giraffe which stands in front of the Legoland Discovery Centre on Potsdamer Platz, Berlin.

Repeatedly, it seems, people have been taking off with its, er, 30cm-long Lego penis. According to a spokesperson for the centre, the appendage is a popular souvenir. “It’s been stolen four times now," she admitted.

The report ended by saying that "the penis is made out of 15,000 Lego bricks. It takes model workers about one week to restore the long-necked animal’s manhood at a cost of €3,000 (about RM15,000)." The centre is now erecting a metal construction to protect the giraffe’s genitalia.

Initially, I thought that this story was already be good for a laugh but then I came across an update to this story. Reuters had misinterpreted or mistranslated their story from the original German version. Apparently, this giraffe does not have a giraffehood worth stealing. What people were removing was its 30cm-long tail.

The corrected news story from Reuters:

09:23 25Aug09 RTRS-CORRECTED-German Lego giraffe tail repeatedly stolen
(Correcting to ‘tail’ from ‘penis’)

BERLIN, Aug 25 (Reuters) – Visitors to a tourist attraction in Berlin have been making off with an unusual memento — the 30 cm long tail of a Lego giraffe.

The Lego tail belongs to a six metre tall model that has stood outside the entrance to the Legoland Discovery Centre on Potsdamer Platz since 2007.

"It’s a popular souvenir," a spokeswoman for the centre said on Tuesday. "It’s been stolen four times now …"

The tail is made out of 15,000 Lego bricks. It takes model workers about one week to restore it at a cost of 3,000 euros ($4,300), the spokeswoman said.

Despite the correction, The Malaysian Insider has not updated its story. Never mind, this online newspaper is in good company. Other online resources have also not pulled out its original story on the giraffe's penis.