I had chance to visit Brussels some years ago and predictably, guided by Fodor’s, sought out the famed Menneken Pis. Who doesn’t love kissing and/or pissing cherubs? Yet I’m sure I’m not first to leave disappointed. It’s awkwardly situated, undersized, and the water mechanism is clumsy. To sum, the history is much more impressive than the actual. Per Wikipedia, the original was made in the mid 15th century. The bronze version dates from around 1619, which has been repeatedly damaged, stolen and reclaimed over the centuries. A bronze replica (above) was stood up in 1965 after a thief broke the original bronze off at the ankles. It turned up the next year in the Charleroi Canal following an anonymous tip and is now kept dry at the Brussels City Museum. The stone niche was added in 1770, and the statue has become a recognized symbol of Brussels/Belgium (“belgitude” = the Belgian penchant for a whizzing self-mockery). The Manneken Pis is dressed in costume several times a week (about 1000 total, so far) according to a fixed schedule, all managed by a non-profit. Designs are submitted annually and The Order of the Friends of the Manneken Pis form the selection committee. There is now a special museum to house the many outfits. And while the town of Geraardsbergen claims an older version of the statue, the prevailing view is that they don’t have a bucket to piss in.
For whatever reason, I was one day pondering the Manneken Pis — and the other peeing statues it has inspired around the world — and I wondered, “what about a shitting statue?” The Manneken Shit, as it were. The impracticality of the thing was immediately evident with the lack of predictable flow, hygiene issues, etc. But being undeterred, I hit upon a novel design idea while reading “Fleishman Is In Trouble” (see below). I would think it the first of its kind. And a real traffic stopper. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you the concept of the Manneken Piss-Butt! Maybe we could sell one to the Vatican. On Instagram, they’d call it “The Unholy See”…
Great Exudations 