A statue at Orlando International Airport has caused confusion among viewers after a video of the hyper-realistic tourist went viral online.
TikTok user @marvelousmousetravels shared a video of what appeared like a sleeping passenger with bags in tow having a sneaky catnap at the Florida airport. But there's more to it than that.
"Who else always thinks this guy is real at the Orlando airport?" the user wrote in the video.
"Omg it isn't real? I need the history on this," wrote one confused viewer.
He might look real, but the sleeping man is actually a hyper-realistic statue by sculptor Duane Hanson. Orlando International Airport has owned "The Traveler" since 1986, where he can be found in the Terminal A concourse between the East and West security points.
@marvelousmousetravels Anyone else think this guy is real? #marvelousmousetravels #mmtravels #airport #travel #vacation #orlandoairport #travelagency
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American artist Duane Hanson died in 1996, but was renowned for his creations of hyper-realistic statues depicting everyday people. Hanson would make casts of real people in polyester resins with fiberglass, and then spend endless house painting the figures with extreme detail.
Orlando International Airport's "The Traveler" is one of two depictions of a sleeping traveler by the artist, who created a similar stature two years later. The second, however, is a little less airport appropriate attire, sporting nothing underneath his completely undone shirt.
The statues were made of bronze polychromed in oil, found clothing, hair, a duffel bag and sleeping bag, wooden sticks and paper tickets.
The traveler doesn't match the expectations of what a muse should generally look like, but neither did any of Hanson's subjects. The sculptor had a penchant for capturing the everyman and woman of America—sunbathers, waitresses, car dealers and more.
Orlando Airport isn't the only one to boast a Hanson sculpture either, as Fort Lauderdale / Hollywood International Airport has owned "Vendor with Walkman" since 1990, where it can be found in the departure level of Terminal 3. As the name would suggest, the sculpture captures a man straight from the 90s listening to his Walkman in casual attire, appearing rather fed up with traveling.
The video of "The Traveler" has been viewed over 290,000 times at the time of publication, and although many were left confused, some instantly recognized the man.
"He's still there? I saw him when I was there 20 years ago," wrote one TikTok user.
"I was kind of freaked out by it when I flew into Orlando in 2019," added another.
