Dennis the Menace statue vanishes from California park — and poses mystery again

A beloved Dennis the Menace statue has been stolen from a California park — and it isn’t the first time the iconic figure has gone missing.

The statue, nabbed from the Dennis the Menace Playground at the El Estero Park Complex in Monterey, was installed in 2007 as a replacement after someone stole the original statue the year before, according to the Monterey Herald. That initial statue, which had been in the park since 1988, has yet to be found.

Its replacement has been missing since sometime in the early morning of Sunday, Aug. 21, according to city officials.

Artist Hank Ketcham brought the character of Dennis the Menace to life in October 1950 at his home in Pebble Beach, California, according to Carmel Magazine. The name was inspired when Ketcham’s wife, referring to their energetic 4-year-old son, exclaimed: “Your son is a menace!”

The character went on to be featured in newspaper comics, TV shows and movies.

Now a search is on — again — for the bronze statue made in his likeness at Dennis the Menace Playground, which was founded in 1956 with “unique playground equipment designed by the late cartoonist Hank Ketcham and sculptor Arch Garner,” according to a news release from Monterey city officials.

“Dennis was stolen back in 2006 (and) we replaced him. The replacement was taken on Sunday. We still don’t know where the original statue is,” Lieutenant Jake Pinkas of the Monterey Police Department told McClatchy News over the phone.

The city’s news release says that although the statue was attached to a concrete base, and had been left alone for the past 15 years, the thieves used a grinder to cut its foot off and take the statue.

The theft has been emotional for some in the city.

“The Dennis the Menace statue has a well-earned characterization as ‘a symbol of the goodness and happiness of the City,’” City Manager Hans Uslar said in a news release. “We are all very disappointed to see criminals have taken it once again. Hundreds of daily visitors enjoyed the cheerful welcome by Dennis the Menace. We are still hoping to recover the statue.”

The statue, measuring 3 feet high and weighing 125 pounds, has an estimated value of $10,000.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Monterey Police Department at 831-646-3830 or the confidential tip line at 831-646-3840.

Monterey is about 50 miles south of San Jose.

This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 8:02 AM with the headline "Dennis the Menace statue vanishes from California park — and poses mystery again."