What The Heck Are These Giant, Creepy Papier-Mâché People Doing In A Garfield Place Alley?

Walk a few paces up Garfield Place from 5th Avenue and take a peek into the alley behind newish restaurant Brooklyn Burgers & Beer (295 5th Avenue at Garfield Place), and you’ll come face to face with one of the Slope’s strangest sights: an assemblage of a half-dozen or so life-size papier-mâché figures lounging in repose, weathered by time but still holding up quite well.

Undeniably creepy yet awesome in their own way, these guys have been hanging out in this alley for years. The one closest to the sidewalk is obviously Bacchus, with his wreath of grape leaves, fistful of grapes, and cask at his side, but the other characters are anyone’s guess. The second one’s face seems to be covered by a black shroud, and one further back appears to be wearing a long black coat. Another pair of crossed legs jut out from beyond.

I did some digging into these figures’ possible origin, and an email to the Park Slope Civic Council yielded some results. It turns out that the “Garfield Giants” are in fact the property of one Ed Herman, who lives in the adjacent building and is a former theater set designer (and an especially skilled one at that).

So thanks, Mr. Herman, for gracing our neighborhood with your uniquely inspired art!