Colonel Sanders at the Gates of Hell
Icon appears after mysteriously disappearing six weeks earlier
On March 4, 1987, the life-size fiberglass Kentucky-fried figurehead was kidnapped from a display window in front of a KFC restaurant in Palo Alto, CA. A $500 reward was offered for his safe return, but there were no takers.
The sharply dressed Colonel was held captive for six weeks, and then he mysteriously appeared on a foggy Easter morning standing at the Gates of Hell; the centerpiece of the Rodin Sculpture Garden at Stanford University. Missing were his glasses, walking cane, and chicken bucket.
A KNBR radio DJ reported that the Colonel had been dropped three or four times, "They dropped him on his head," she said. "He's missing a finger, but he's repairable."
A note attached to the icons’ lapel read in big, bold letters: "I've seen it all–it's not a pretty picture. Take me home!" A smaller postscript addressed the owners of the KFC franchise: "I never meant to worry you, Donna and Paul–I just needed some space. Happy Easter! Your Faithful Servant, The Colonel."
"They must have planned to keep him for exactly six weeks," owner Donna Prudence told reporters. "They kidnapped him on Ash Wednesday and returned him Easter morning."
When police came to take custody of the Colonel, the museum guards were busy taking photos of the hilarious crime scene. They also snapped shots as he was being loaded into the back of a patrol car. None of these photos have ever surfaced. (The photo attached to this article is my interpretation of the event).
The iconic statue that survived this ordeal is now on prominent display at the first KFC restaurant (aka Harman's) at 3900 South State in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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