A man got more than he bargained for after picking up a seemingly cute statue while abroad, which has now officially been crowned the UK’s ‘weirdest holiday souvenir’.
The top 10 list also includes items such as a can of Bigfoot, a nostalgic box of cereal no longer for sale in Britain and a lipstick-wearing llama.
Nile Pennington picked up the bizarre sculpture of a little girl – which he claims is “cursed” – while in Ibiza with his partner, Joey.
READ MORE: ‘I moved into my sister’s house – she left a ouija board behind and now my life is cursed’
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Since adding it to his Sheffield home, he claims to have seen the haunted ornament “moving”.
“We always like to collect weird and unusual holiday souvenirs and when we came across this little lady in a charity warehouse, we knew we had to buy her,” he told What’s The Jam.
“I’ve [since] seen it moving.
“She just has this menacing aura, which is one of the reasons we were initially drawn to the statue while browsing in Ibiza.
“Its eyes always seem to follow you and give off the vibe that it’s up to something.
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“I think it might be cursed!
“It stays downstairs – there’s no way that I will have it near my bedroom.
“It’s not watching me sleep.
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“I keep her in the lounge and pray that she can’t get upstairs.
“I was once sat at home after work, and she fell off the mantel piece and broke her toe – it scared the life out of me.
“She’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea and I have some family members that won’t even sit in the same room as her as she spooks them.
“[But] she’s one of my favourite trinkets, so she’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”
Nile and Joey’s doll statue has just nabbed the title of the UK’s most bizarre holiday souvenir in a competition hosted by Space Station, a self-storage operator.
The pair won a £250 holiday voucher prize.
But they are not the only travelling Brits with unusual items purchased in other countries.
In second place is Edith, who purchased canned Sasquatch – that’s Bigfoot, in case you didn’t know – from Canada.
She said: “My sister and I used to spend a lot of time as kids’ reading about Bigfoot and other folklore creatures.
“I never thought I’d find one in a can though!”
In third place is Fiona from London, who found Nestlé’s Golden Grahams cereal while in France.
She said: “It’s my favourite childhood cereal and they no longer sell it in England, which is very sad indeed.
“It cost about €4 and I have tried my absolute best to make the box last as long as possible.
“I didn’t actually open them for three months after getting home.
“Are they French? No. Are they an American cereal? Yes.
“Would it have been more appropriate to bring back some croissants or authentic cheese? Yes.
“But next time I go I’ll be buying another box!”
In total, there were eight items chosen from competition submissions sent in by Brits.
Dawn, who took fourth place with a dog toy from Turkey, said: “It caught my eye because it’s so strange.
“It looks like a llama with lipstick, a swimming costume, nail varnish and flip flops.
“It’s my dog’s favourite toy!”
Alice, who nabbed the sixth spot, travelled home from Japan with a personalised cup of noodles.
The Brit, who hails from Leeds, said: “Back in 2019, I went to the Nissin Noodle Factory in Japan and made my own cup noodle!
“It was a great experience and I thought this souvenir was something not many people can say they have!”
THE TOP 8 WEIRDEST HOLIDAY SOUVENIRS BROUGHT BACK BY BRITS
Nile Pennington, from Sheffield – cursed girl statue from Ibiza
Edith, from Sheffield – canned Sasquatch from Canada
Fiona, from London – cereal from France
Dawn Gray – llama-shaped dog toy from Turkey
May, from Manchester – animal ornament from Greece
Alice, from Leeds – personalised noodles from Japan
James, from York – Rio Carnival prop from Brazil
Flora, from London – tarsier-shaped hat from the Philippines
READ MORE: Museum owner shocked to spot moving ‘ghost’ in photo of ancient animal object
