The jumbo sea creature appeared in the front garden of a home in Knowsley Road in the NR3 area last week and has been turning heads ever since,
Named Wilfred, local kids have been giddy at the chance to shake his tentacle and pose for a picture with him.
He is the work of Norwich puppet creator, Jodie Smith, 27, who works under the name Animus Puppetry and was commissioned by the Maui Waui festival at Gressenhall for its 10th anniversary event as the pink octopus is the festival’s mascot.
He had been stored in Ms Smith’s garden until the festival took place last weekend, where Wilfred could be seen crawling across the site.
She said: “I’ve been making puppets for five years now and this is definitely the biggest thing I’ve done.
“I really appreciated being asked to do it and really enjoyed making it, this was a big thing for me.
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“The name came to me quite far down the line, normally the name comes to me when I get a sense of what character I’m creating.
“Usually my puppets can be operated solo or by me and a friend, but Wilfred takes five people to move.”
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Ms Smith said her creation had received a great response from neighbours and those passing by.
She added: “It’s been really popular, I’ve had a lot of children wanting to shake his hands and even quite a few adults wanting to have their photos taken with him.
“It’s been all over social media, I’d love to do something like this again.”
The puppet master now says she is welcoming even bigger commissions after enjoying the challenge of building Wilfred.
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