Googly-eye sculpture prank leads to appearance on 'Late Show with Stephen Colbert'

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A recent bout of local "light vandalism" in Bend, Oregon, was featured on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Friday evening.

During the show's "Meanwhile..." segment, where Colbert riffs on news which sometimes slips through the mainstream cracks, the host teased Bend officials taking issue with a vandal placing googly-eyes on eight statues in the city.

The city had originally shared photos of the googly-eyed installations in the middle of roundabouts that make up its so-called “Roundabout Art Route.”

"Oh come on, you're gonna get mad about that? It's fun!" Colbert said.

He then added another reason to back up his case.

"Frankly, it's safer. If Bambi's mom had had those eyes, maybe she'd have seen that hunter coming."

After some mild laughs which turned to groans from the audience, Colbert replied, "Oh what, too soon?"

Bend mayor Melanie Kebler reacted to the shoutout on BlueSky, saying "The googly art bandit morale boost is helping my city get through winter and making national news!"

Meanwhile, the city cautioned in a post on social media earlier this month about concerns of damaging the sculptures.

“While the googly eyes placed on the various art pieces around town might give you a chuckle, it costs money to remove them with care to not damage the art,” they wrote.

They said the overall concern is the adhesive used to stick the googly eyes onto the statue’s surface is what can cause the damage, noting the cost of removing them has come to over $1,500.