Four of the “critter” statues seen around downtown Aberdeen were reinstalled on sidewalks this week, and are more eye-catching than ever.

After over a hundred days of repairs and then repainting by local artist Doug Orr, the statues are now brighter than ever.

The fanciful creations were done several years ago by local artists Robin and John Gumaelius. The paint eventually faded a bit and some statues had minor damage and the city put them into storage.

On Monday afternoon, Orr and others who took part in the restoration watched as the first repainted statue was bolted back into its spot on Heron Street next to the Morck building.

Known as the “Grizzly Hare,” the once pink rabbit now has vibrant blue and black patterns, and a painting of a church and a face on the animal’s rotund body.

Michael and Sylvia Dickerson from the group Our Aberdeen, which has supported public art downtown and been responsible for commissioning many of the downtown murals, said the group decided to lead the project in order to better attract tourists who otherwise could be turned off by faded public art displays.

“We got involved because if someone sees all our public art in bad condition, they’ll think, ‘Oh, they really don’t care,’” said Michael Dickerson.

The restoration was fully funded by grants given to Our Aberdeen, and installed by Aberdeen Parks Department workers this week. More statues will be refurbished throughout the year.

The other statues placed back this week were:

-The Chinook Salmon, located at the intersection of Wishkah and G Streets.

– The Bull Snout, located at the intersection of Heron and Broadway Streets.

– The Hoquiam Honker, located at Heron and H Streets.

LOUIS KRAUSS | THE DAILY WORLD The newly repainted “Grizzly Hare” was placed back in its spot by the Morck building earlier this week.