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As It Happens

BREAKING: The Gävle goat is dethroned as the tallest goat in Sweden

The Gävle goat is under threat. But, this year, it's not only from vandals who want to burn it down. A nearby Swedish town has erected a straw goat that's two metres taller. And, the straw goat's builder is convinced it won't be torched.
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The 2014 Fridlevstadbocken goat. (Facebook/Fridlevstadbocken/Cole Burston/CP)
As It Happens5:01BREAKING: The Gävle goat is dethroned as the tallest goat in Sweden

In the Swedish town of Gävle, there is a large goat made of straw.

For nearly 50 years, the people of Gävle have erected the 13-metre goat in the town's main square. It's become a Christmas tradition for As it Happens to check in, mostly because for half of those years, the goat has been burned down by vandals.   

 

The people of Gävle do what they can to protect their straw goat. But this year, the goat is already under threat, although the threat is not of arson but rather competition. A group of people in Fridlevstad, a nearby Swedish town, have built an even bigger straw goat.

"It started just for fun," Robert Gustavsson tells As It Happens guest host Helen Mann. "November is a very boring month and it's better to hang out with friends and build a Christmas goat."

Gustavsson helped build the rival goat. He says his friend came up with the idea as a romantic gesture for his girlfriend who moved from Gävle. Initially, the Fridlevstad goat started as a miniature tribute to the Gävle version. 

Building the 2015 Fridlevstadbocken goat. (Facebook/Fridlevstadbocken)

But at 15 metres, standing two metres taller than the Gävle goat, it's the first time in four years that Fridlevstad can claim the title of Sweden's tallest goat.

Gustavsson says the ambitious build took about 500 hours.

"The hardest thing is the height," Gustavsson explains. "Nothing is easy when you stand on a ladder seven metres up in the air."

Building the 2015 Fridlevstadbocken goat. (Facebook/Fridlevstadbocken)
Unlike the Gävle goat, the Fridlevstad goat has never been torched by vandals. Gustavsson trusts the Fridlevstad goat is safe. He adds that photos of the goat are used for a Christmas charity fundraiser which helps deter would-be arsonists.

A Google translation of a story from the local paper describes the new goat, "like a hot-tempered brother who enter puberty and suddenly, before you know it, is both larger and more powerful than its big brother."

Despite the boastful translation, Gustavsson insists the competition is all in good spirit.

"[Gävle] know ours exists and I do think they are a little bit angry about it but for us it's just fun messing with them," Gustavsson quips. "It started like a tribute and it happened to be bigger — we can't help it."

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