A character from beloved U.S. cartoon show Spongebob Squarepants has appeared on the rooftops of the Russian city of Voronezh.
Vandals climbed a spire in the town on Oct. 25 to transform its decorative Soviet star into Spongebob’s hapless sidekick Patrick, the RIA Voronzh news site reported.
Members of the city’s roofing community – climbers who scale urban buildings, often without formal permission – have distanced themselves from the move.
Andrei Grebenikov, an administrator in the local OTRV roofing group, said that the club had not taken part in the stunt, but were willing to clean the star themselves.
Professional companies have estimated that restoration work will cost 100,000 rubles ($1,530), RIA Voronzh reported.
It’s not the first time that the building has been targeted by pranksters. Authorities were forced to bring in a crane to remove a “Jolly Rodger” left flying from the spire in October last year.
