Historical Events  Art
Easter Island statues

Alternate:
Easter Island statues did not have hats

Current:
 Some Easter Island statues wore hats

Where did you get that hat?

One look at the picture of the Easter Island statues wearing hats makes most people ask if they are real, along with comments along the lines of them looking silly, or more generally out of place.

These images are so striking that the hats are being reported as a Mandela Effect, because many people are sure they would have seen them and remembered them before. In other words, it's not a case of them misremembering, but instead the past has somehow changed for them.

Some hats appear red, and some of their eyes are painted blue too.

They are called the Moai, and represented deceased ancestors. They were carved by the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island in Polynesia around 1300 years ago.

Over 900 statues

The statues are remarkable for the time. Some are 10 metres tall and weigh over 90 tons.

It's also a mystery how they were moved, since the island is largely treeless. This means the usual assumption of rolling them along on logs is not likely.

Toppled

Few people also realise that in 1868, no upright statues were to be seen - they had all toppled over. The reasons aren't clear, and stories range from rival clans infighting to earthquakes.