Cincinnati has its pigs; Cleveland its guitars. Now Columbus has its public art staple, too, and it’s a far cry from the corn cob statues that popped up in 2003 to mark the state’s bicentennial.

Columbus’ most recognized celebrity is now enshrined throughout the city. Brutus Buckeye – beloved icon, former Mascot-of-the-Year recipient, native nut – is coming to a street corner near you.

By project’s end, estimated to be in October, there will be as many as 250 uniquely decorated, 7-foot-tall Brutus statues displayed throughout Columbus.

Most of the money raised from the “Brutus on Parade” initiative will go toward Ohio State’s renovation of the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library. A small portion will go toward a scholarship fund for future OSU cheerleaders.

Brutus has already started appearing sporadically, first at the Schottenstein Center and at the Experience Columbus Welcome Center, and will continue through the summer in various roles – Rock and Roll Brutus (in the likes of Elvis Presley) or Christopher Columbus Brutus or Woody Hayes Brutus, for example.

Artists who signed up to create a signature Brutus statue were given plenty of freedom, but couldn’t include designs that were sexually explicit, corporate or regarded anything about “That Team Up North.” Businesses, organizations and individuals have donated at least $10,000 for sponsorship of each sculpture, and those who donate $20,000 will be able to keep their Brutus after the display’s run.

For more information about the project, including photos of each sculpture as they are erected, visit www.brutusonparade.com.