A British traveller was left shocked after picking up what first appeared to be a cute statue on holiday, only to have it later crowned the UK’s ‘weirdest holiday souvenir’.
Nile Pennington bought the strange sculpture of a young girl while in Ibiza with his partner Joey. But after bringing it back to his Sheffield home he now believes it to be “cursed” claiming to have seen the haunted object “moving”.
The pair came across the strange statue while browsing in a charity warehouse, and Nile said he knew they “had to buy her”. The creepy statue has made it onto the top 10 list of weird holiday souvenirs where it is joined by a can of Bigfoot, a box of nostalgic cereal no longer sold in Britain and a llama wearing lipstick.
The haunted statue was discovered in a charity warehouse in Ibiza
(
Image:
Jam Press/Space Station)
In second place was a tin of Bigfoot from Canada
(
Image:
Jam Press/Space Station)
“We always like to collect weird and unusual holiday souvenirs and when we came across this little lady in a charity warehouse, we knew we had to buy her,” Nile explained. “I’ve [since] seen it moving. She just has this menacing aura, which is one of the reasons we were initially drawn to the statue while browsing in Ibiza.
“Its eyes always seem to follow you and give off the vibe that it’s up to something. I think it might be cursed! It stays downstairs – there’s no way that I will have it near my bedroom. It’s not watching me sleep. I keep her in the lounge and pray that she can’t get upstairs.
“I was once sat at home after work, and she fell off the mantel piece and broke her toe – it scared the life out of me. She’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea and I have some family members that won’t even sit in the same room as her as she spooks them. [But] she’s one of my favourite trinkets, so she’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”
Nile and Joey’s creepy doll statue has taken the title of the UK’s most bizarre holiday souvenirs in a competition hosted by self-storage operator Space Station, winning the pair a £250 holiday voucher prize – though maybe they’ll think twice now before bringing back any ‘cursed’ mementos. But they’re not the only Brits who’ve picked up an unusual item abroad.
Alice form Leeds claimed the sixth spot with her personalised noodles from Japan
(
Image:
Jam Press/Space Station)
Golden Grahams cereal discontinued in the UK but found in France were also on the list
(
Image:
Jam Press/Space Station)
Edith came in second place with a can of Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, from Canada. She said: “My siter and I used to spend a lot of time as kids reading about Bigfoot and other folklore creatures. I never thought I’d find one in a can though!”
Third place was taken by Fiona, from London, who brought back a nostalgic box of Nestlé’s Golden Grahams cereal from France. She explained: “It’s my favourite childhood cereal and they no longer sell it in England, which is very sad indeed.
“It cost about €4 (£3.37) and I have tried my absolute best to make the box last as long as possible. I didn’t actually open them for three months after getting home. Are they French? No. Are they an American cereal? Yes. Would it have been more appropriate to bring back some croissants or authentic cheese? Yes. But next time I go I’ll be buying another box!”
A lipstick-wearing llama in a bathing suit and sandals was brought back from Turkey
(
Image:
Jam Press/Space Station)
May, from Manchester, brought back a strange animal ornament from Greece
(
Image:
Jam Press/Space Station)
In total, there were eight items chosen from competition submissions sent in by Brits. Dawn, who took fourth place with a lipstick-wearing llama dog toy from Turkey, said: “It caught my eye because it’s so strange. It looks like a llama with lipstick, wearing a swimming costume, nail varnish and flip flops. It’s my dog’s favourite toy!”
Meanwhile Alice took sixth with a personalised cup of noodles from Japan. The Brit, from Leeds, said: “Back in 2019, I went to the Nissin Noodle Factory in Japan and made my own cup noodle! It was a great experience and I thought this souvenir was something not many people can say they have!”
Top 8 weirdest holiday souvenirs brought back by Brits:
-
Nile Pennington, from Sheffield – cursed girl statue from Ibiza
-
Edith, from Sheffield – canned Sasquatch from Canada
-
Fiona, from London – cereal from France
-
Dawn Gray – llama-shaped dog toy from Turkey
-
May, from Manchester – animal ornament from Greece
-
Alice, from Leeds – personalised noodles from Japan
-
James, from York – Rio Carnival prop from Brazil
-
Flora, from London – tarsier-shaped hat from the Philippines