Sleeping giant given a name and new trick
Choosing a good name for a giant is a hard task.
For more than twenty years the giant at the TSB Festival of Lights in Pukekura Park has been known only as the ‘Sleepy Giant’ for the loud snoring he lets out from the trees his bed hangs from.
But this year the job of giving him a proper name was put to the public.
The Festival of Lights organisers put a poll on Facebook asking
Grumbledorf the Giant won with 720 votes, just ahead of Moe.
for suggestions for names and came up with Parker, Moe, Grumbledorf, Jerry and Mormont as the frontrunners.
A further poll got people to vote for the name they most wanted.
Yesterday the results of the poll were released and declared the huge man Grumbledorf the Giant.
It can only be assumed the name is a reference to the Harry Potter character Dumbledore although he was a wizard rather than a giant.
Another popular choice was Boris after the eel that used to live in the main lake, but unfortunately that didn’t make the cut either as was the case for around another 100 names suggested. Grumbledorf won with 720 votes, just ahead of Moe - the Ma¯ ori word for sleep.
The giant is installed every year in the tree canopy beside the park’s lake as part of the TSB Festival of Lights, and last year he was given a tech upgrade that included his own mobile phone so he could respond to texts sent by park-goers.
During the 2016/17 season Grumbledorf received 14,654 text messages from the public and at times was a bit hit and miss with his responses, leaving some a little disappointed when he didn’t answer back.
Anyone who wants to text Gumbledorf this year can do so on 027 801 8002. While Grumbledorf can still receive text messages this year on his trusty Nokia phone, he’s been given a few new upgrades as well.
He’s been dressed in a new cloak featuring a tukutuku pattern; the stepped poutama pattern on the cloak signifies the growth of man, striving ever upwards.
In further upgrades he’s got the beginnings of animatronics and his foot now wiggles every now and then. The festival runs from December 16 to February 5.