Image via Royal Caribbean International
A couple of days ago, we posted a photo of the whimsical giant giraffe statue being installed on Royal Caribbean International's Anthem of the Seas.
Today we present the cruise line's funny video of how the mammoth statue was driven to the ship on a truck and then lifted onto the ship by a crane.
The video says the giraffe, which wears a yellow swimsuit and bright pink inner tube, was named Gigi by the ship's crew. Gigi stands 32 feet tall, weighs four tons and is made of 15 pieces of carbon fiber.
Anthem of the Seas was officially delivered to Royal Caribbean on April 10 by Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany. Scheduled for an April 20 christening in Southampton, England, Anthem is a sister to the Quantum of the Seas, which has a big red bear onboard. The 168,666-ton, 4,180-passenger ships also boast bumper cars, a trapeze school, a sky-dive simulator, robotic bartenders and a glass pod thrill ride that rises 300 feet above seas level.
The giraffe was the work of a Paris-born, Marrakech-dwelling artist named Jean-François Fourtou, who has a giraffe statue named Solange in his own home.
"The purpose of my work is always to show something outside of its natural context," Fourtou said. "We wanted the material to look realistic, but it also has a lot of technical aspects to be able to travel on the ship through the sea. We worked with an excellent specialist to ensure the material would be resistant to sea water."
Fourtou eagerly anticipates passengers' delighted reaction to Gigi.
"I hope people will feel a big surprise - I hope they will laugh, and I hope some of them will feel something emotional because, for me, the giraffe seems almost human with her expression," he said. "Much like being a father, you have to let the kids leave home, and I think it's great that she's going to see the world and have a great adventure."
Here's a photo of the big red bear on Quantum of the Seas.
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