Grand designs for Dandy Lion statue in Elgin
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This article was originally published during the morning of April 1.
A Dandy Lion statue the size of Nelson's Column – or a whole army of Dandy Lions similar to China's famous terracotta warriors.
One of these two startling options is set to be chosen by Moray Council by the end of this year.
Dramatic new plans have been released to completely transform Elgin town centre with a "bold and visionary" development.
Channelled towards the project will be most of the £65million received from Holyrood and Westminster under the Moray Growth Deal.
Such a large investment shall enable Moray to have either a single Dandy Lion standing on top of a 170ft-high plinth, or 50 exact replicas of the existing statue dotted strategically around the Plainstones area.
A council spokesperson said: "We believe the benefits will eventually far outweigh the initial costs.
"Visitors are going to travel from all over the world to view such a bold and visionary statement on Elgin High Street.
"The knock-on commercial gains will be felt far beyond Moray's largest town.
"Many visitors are also going to take the opportunity to explore the wide array of other attractions on offer across our region, such as its stunning beaches, photogenic rural landscapes and many wonderful whisky distilleries."
The Dandy Lion has divided local opinion since it was first unveiled in Elgin towards the end of 2016.
However, with the passage of time, the light-hearted statue has succeeded in winning over many of its former critics.
News of what is being planned is already spreading well beyond Moray.
So far the reaction on social media has been overwhelmingly positive.
Kevin McCloud, the presenter of TV's Grand Designs, commented on Twitter that he is "trembling with anticipation".
Echoing the view that the development has potential global appeal, word has also crossed the Atlantic.
Characteristically referring to himself in the third person, the US rap star Kanye West tweeted: "Kanye West believes in your flyness. Make it happen my Scottish friends."
A tendering process has now been put in place whereby design and engineering firms are being asked to submit bids.
The council spokesperson added: "As with anything a little out of the ordinary, some will instinctively label it a foolish idea.
"However we are confident those people will soon see things differently."
