CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is already hanging the holiday decor, or assembling it.
A 24-foot tall, eight inches wide Fiona Nutcracker made its appearance earlier this week ahead of the zoo’s 40th annual PNC Festival of Lights
The nutcracker was placed at the front entrance to the zoo.
“This nutcracker is truly unique,” said Cincinnati Zoo’s vice president of marketing and visitor experience Chad Yelton in a news release. “It’s 24 feet tall, 8 feet wide, and looks just like Fiona! COST of Wisconsin did an incredible job putting her together.”
Fans of Fiona can find hidden details on the nutcracker that are part of the hippo’s story.
Some “Easter Eggs” to look for are:
- Six slices of watermelon on her belt (because she was born 6 weeks pre-mature and loves watermelon)
- Camera on the belt buckle because she grew up in front of the camera
- 29 buttons on her coat represent her birthweight of 29 pounds
- Aquarius symbol on the buttons is a nod to her astrological sign
- Her birth stone, garnet, is in her crown
- Fritz, her new little brother, is painted on her toenail
“There are other items of significance on the structure, which is made of steel and fiberglass, but we’ll let people have fun finding those on their own,” said Yelton. “It took 12 people about 1650 hours to make our vision come to life. We are thrilled with how it turned out!”
PNC Festival of Lights opens to the public on Nov. 18 and runs through Jan. 8, 2023.
