It's a pretty rare sight, especially in our area of Southern California, but Lawn Jockeys are still around. There are two, in fact, in my neighborhood in La Costa adjacent to the La Costa Resort. The one in the photo was all dressed up for Easter, as you can see -we walked by the other evening and it seemed appropriate to snap a pic, which inspired this post.
They are each perched at the end of the drive-ways of two homes across the street from the resort. I don't know the history but suspect they have been there since the homes were built in the 1960s right after the La Costa Resort was completed (they happen to be homes owned by the same family).
Lawn Jockeys are small statues of figures (historically most were black) dressed in jockey clothes, usually brightly colored. Some have the home owners' initials painted on them. Personally I never quite understood the appeal but they clearly have been popular in some areas. And not just a horse properties.
In case you don't know about the history of lawn jockeys, here's a good article on the Lawn Jockey in Wikipedia. There are a number of stories about the origin but that remains unclear and undocumented. Many of them have disappeared over the years, in part, I suspect, to the racial issues and controversy they have raised (many of the original Lawn Jockeys were black figures, some of which have been repainted). They still tend to be popular in some parts of the US and are manufactured today.
Any lawn jockeys hanging out in YOUR area?
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