The Backyard Zoo of Cyril Griglak

This is just a portion of the animals that can be found on the property.

Imagine going to an estate sale and discovering a roadside oddity treasure trove. We had seen an ad online for an estate sale which had several hens on nests which we were interested, but also listed in the ad was "backyard folk art."

When we got there, of course, I had to go right to the backyard. Anything large, concrete, and obscure is my thing. However, I wasn't ready to find no less than a dozen homemade concrete statues waiting for me. There were statues in the yard, in the woods, and even around a small pond.

The animals weren't exactly anatomically correct as evidenced by this camel.

Located in Perryopolis, PA, these homemade creations were made by the homeowner, Cyril Griglak, over the course of over a decade.

Griglak started creating the animals when he was in his 80's as "something to do." They were molded using rebar and mesh and then concrete was either sprayed or placed over the frame to create the bodies. At one time they were colorfully painted, but after being exposed to the elements for several decades the paint has faded.

You can see the golfballs used for the eyes in this dinosaur.

The statues are almost comical with their disproportionate anatomy and silly expressions. They even use golfballs for eyes!

Some of the internal workings can be seen in this figure which is beginning to deteriorate.

Originally, some of the animals moved using internal wiring, but some also used more basic means such as corrugated pipe and springs. One of the figures was an orangutang which would bounce maniacally within a metal frame supported by springs. Unfortunately, this statue was removed prior to the sale, however, the frame was still visible.

Among the animals is this kangaroo with a joey in it's pouch.

Other unique figures included a pulley-driven spider on a web (no longer at the site); a kangaroo with a joey in its pouch; a snake slithering along the back stone wall; and a dragon. The organizer of the estate sale told us that all of the figures are currently for sale and several have been purchased by the neighbors who wanted a memento.

This lion reminded me of the cover of "Where the Wild Things Are"

The house is currently for sale, but the sale ad doesn't mention anything about the animals being included. I am curious if the animals will end up being sold before the house changes hands or will the new owner get the remaining animals as well. Truthfully, the animals would be a major selling point for me!

Additionally, Cyril's homemade animals appeared in the book "Weird Pennsylvania" which was published before the Cyril's 's death in 2006.

Hopefully, there will be some sort of preservation of Cyril's labor of love. Before you ask, I would have loved to have had one, but transporting a concrete statue 45 minutes back home is near impossible.

However, we did get the hens.