Top 10 Surprising Facts about the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen

By Gary Todd – Wikimedia

Top 10 Surprising Facts about the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen

The Little Mermaid was unveiled on 23 August 1913.  This sculpture was a gift from Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen to the City of Copenhagen.

It is made of bronze and granite. The sculptor, Edvard Eriksen, was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale. The said mermaid gave up everything to be united with a young, handsome prince on land.

Although the sculpture is small, it attracts a large number of tourists every year. It is 4 feet tall and sits on a rock on the shore of cruise harbour at the old port district of Nyhavn.

The Little Mermaid has been on this shore for more than 100 years.

Here are 10 surprising facts about the Little Mermaid.

1. The Little Mermaid was born out of a story

The statue was born in a story written in 1836 by Hans Christian Anderson. After watching a performance of the book at the Royal Danish Theatre, Carl Jacobsen loved the storyline and was inspired to have a sculpture made.

The story was about a mermaid who wanted to leave the sea life and wanted to do anything to be human. He commissioned Edvard Eriksen to curve the sculpture. The statue was unveiled in 1913.

It is unfortunate that its location has been the meeting point for political activists and vandals.

2. It inspired the Little Mermaid in Disney

The story of the little Mermaid became popular that Disney adapted the story. This Mermaid was 15 years old when she saved a prince from a shipwreck.

She fell in love with the prince. When asked what she wanted in return, she said she wanted to become human.

The price was quite hefty because she would have to lose her voice and should the prince fall for another girl, she would turn into form. The ending was tragic.

This ending was changed in the Disney version of the story. The animated version of the story raised more than $211 million.

3. The sculpture is based on a real person, Ellen Price

By Bobanny – Wikimedia

Sculptor Edvard Eriksen used two different models to create the Little Mermaid. He worked with Ellen Price, a ballerina, who refused to pose topless.

To fix this, Edvard used his wife, Eline, for the topless portion of the sculpture.

The model recommendation was done by Carl Jacobsen. He liked the performance by Ellen Price, who was the lead ballerina in the Little Mermaid show. Only her head was used to create the sculpture.

4. This statue has not been spared from vandalism

The Little Mermaid has been vandalized and defaced several times since the 1960s. It was restored every time it was vandalized.

In 1964, the statue was beheaded by artists from the situationist movement. Unfortunately, the head was never recovered so a new one was carved and placed on it.

Another vandalism happened in 1984 when two young men cut off her right arm. They returned the arm two days later.

Another attempt at beheading the statue was in 1990. A deep cut was left on the neck of the statue. This happened again in 1998, the vandals were never caught. The head was however returned and was reattached.

5. The statue you see is not the real one

By News Oresund – Wikimedia

The original statue of the Little Mermaid can be found in a museum. The one at the harbour is a copy.

This is not the only copy, there are several other copies in Iowa, Romania, California, South Korea, Spain and Monaco.   

There is one on the grave of Victor Borge, a Danish-American actor. A similar statue was placed on the seafront in Giardini Naxos while a second is inside the Marine Protected Area of Plemmiro of Siracusa.

6. It is a famous landmark in Denmark

By Gary Todd – Wikimedia

Just like Mannekin Pis, the Little Mermaid is one of the remarkable statues that are synonymous with Denmark. It is one of the most visited landmarks in Copenhagen.

There is no fee charged to view the statue along the waterside. The other option is by taking a boat ride from a different angle of the statue.

Tour companies offer scheduled visits to the statue by boat or by foot.

7. She has travelled abroad

The Little Mermaid has not only been in Copenhagen but has been to Shanghai, China. About 70 million people showed up for the 2010 World Expo.

8. The Little Mermaid statue is copyrighted

By Bobanny – Wikimedia

The statue’s copyright will last until 2029. It was first copyrighted in 1959 after the death of the sculptor. Its replicas have been authorized for sale by the Sculptor’s family.

There is also a similar statue in New Zealand with similar tales as the Little Mermaid. A similar one in Vancouver shows a female diver in a wet suit.  

9. It is smaller than you would expect

While the statue is popular, its size might be a little underwhelming. The statue is smaller than one would expect.

It is 4.1 feet tall and weighs 385 lbs. the location on the shore makes it seem even smaller.

10. There is a fable talked about the Little Mermaid

So how the Little Mermaid came to be is that she wanted to have eternal life. This happened after she fell in love with a prince she had saved from a shipwreck.

She swam to the shore of the ocean twice a day to meet with the prince. Unfortunately, her story has a sad ending since the prince fell in love with another.