Heidi’s Hidden Gems - Willie the Whale
Since 2019, Willie the Whale has resided in Kokomo’s own Foster Park near the waters of Wildcat Creek and Kokomo Beach.
TKP Photo | Heidi Pruitt
But Willie has had numerous locations since his creation in 1964, from holding a fish tank at The Indianapolis Zoo, to the mini golf course at Newfields, so how did Kokomo acquire this 16-foot statue? Keep reading for this week’s episode of Heidi’s Hidden Gems, where I’ll discuss all the details of this beloved whale’s life.
According to information from the City of Kokomo, when the Indianapolis Zoo moved from its old east side location to its current home in White River State Park, Willie did not make the trip.
Willie then spent time at an amusement park in northeastern Indiana and at the long-defunct Boogie Mountain water park on the Indianapolis east side where it sat in the closed park for years.
The whale statue eventually ended up in Rushville where that town loaned it to the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields for their mini-golf course for six months.
Once the mini-golf course was closed, Kokomo reached out to Rushville and was able to purchase Willie after city planners wanted to add another icon to the park’s map.
The City of Kokomo hopes Willie’s final days will be spent as another example of the quirky art scene that can be found throughout the streets.
Foster Park is located at 721 W. Superior St., Kokomo, IN