21 Sparky Statues are dispersed through-out the Twin Cities.
Click HERE for locations & HERE for a printable map!

Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is excited to announce the Summer of Sparky – Making a Splash.  Twenty-one custom Sea Lion statues, hand-painted by local artists, are popping up throughout the Twin Cities featuring water conservation messaging and weekly events.

Funded by The Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Legacy Amendment, these 6’ tall, 300 pound, vibrant and colorfully painted “Sparky” statues are at high visibility locations around the Twin Cities, at local businesses and organizations including the Science Museum of Minnesota, Minnesota Children’s Museum, CHS Field, Rice Park, Harriet Island, Minnehaha Park, and the Minneapolis RBC Gateway.

“Summer of Sparky” is in celebration of the return of the beloved SPIRE Sparky the Sea Lion shows at Como Zoo’s new, Como Harbor, a preeminent seals and sea lions’ habitat.  One aspect of the Summer of Sparky campaign is to bring awareness to ocean conservation. Each statue will be painted to convey a different conservation message. From images of puffins and otters all the way to creatures of the deep, the artists have each created a unique design that highlights a part of ocean conservation that is meaningful to them.

The 21 hand-painted statues delivered from California to St. Paul compliments of Logix Transportation, a subsidiary of Berger Moving & Storage, will be prominently displayed across the Twin Cities beginning June 13th and will educate and inspire residents and the millions of tourists that visit the Twin Cities each year to protect and preserve our natural world.