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Indonesian army destroys grinning tiger statue after internet mockery

Users of a parody Facebook page are mourning the passing of the tiger and its cheesy grin

Jon Sharman
Friday 17 March 2017 01:52 GMT
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The tiger's cheesy grin led to affectionate mockery online
The tiger's cheesy grin led to affectionate mockery online (Vincent Candra)

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The Indonesian army has demolished a tiger statue at a base in West Java after its cartoonish appearance became fodder for internet memes.

The grinning wooden mascot in a village in Garut was meant to represent the Siliwangi Military Command, whose logo is a fearsome, roaring tiger's head.

The statue was put in place some years ago but only recently gained fame online, the BBC reported.

Social media users have mocked its cheesy grin, inserting it into movie posters, while the parodic Indonesian Humour Ministry Facebook page declared its sadness for the tiger's passing.

It "will always be remembered" for its "cheerful" face, said a post on the Kementrian Humor Indonesia page depicting the statue as an angel ascending to heaven, being saluted by a tearful soldier.

Siliwangi military commander Maj Gen Herindra told the BBC: "Every unit has their own decision on how the statue was made, but sometimes the artist was not that good."

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