Have You Ever Seen a Roundabout Dog?

An early rondellhund in Linköping, Sweden. (Image credit: Skvattram) 

If you've driven around a Swedish roundabout, you may have seen a homemade dog sculpture sitting in the grass center of the circle. They can be found in many places, and they vary widely in design. Who put them there? No one knows, and it's certainly not just one person. The roundabout dog, or rondellhund, is a real-world art meme, and it started in the Swedish city of Linköping. Wikipedia has the story of the first rondellhund that appeared in 2006. 

A rondellhund in Vårdsberg, Sweden. (Image credit: Peter Forss) 

People just liked the first dog, so they anonymously installed other dog sculptures in roundabouts in Sweden, or in traffic islands in smaller towns that have no roundabouts. The practice spread to  other countries, including Spain, Portugal, and the UK. 

This roundabout dog was spotted in Braga, Portugal. (Image credit: Bjornjobb) 

Most roundabout dogs are made of wood, but other materials are also used. There is no set design, and each fabricator puts their own spin on them. You can buy one from a company that makes them in custom colors, although from the pictures, those seem to end up at people's homes more than in public roundabouts. -via Metafilter