Did you ever expect “Ariel” to be a popular figure outside nursery schools? Did you ever imagine her to be a country’s unofficial national symbol? And do you know that she’s more photographed than Katie Holmes and Angelina Jolie combined?

Ask every little girl or boy about The Little Mermaid and you’ll be taken in an endless chatter about every marine specie imaginable. Talks about a fast-talking Guppy known as Flounder, a kiss-butt crustacean named Sebastian, and a witch-octopus called Ursula, will take you on a whir. But how many of these kids know that The Little Mermaid exists outside the fairytale books and the Disney film?

The famous Danish storyteller, Hans Christian Andersen, made his fairytale more known to the world when a statue of the mermaid was created in its honor. The mermaid statue in Copenhagen was unveiled to the public on August 23, 1913 and has served as the city’s most familiar symbol.

The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen that sits on a huge rock in Langelinie is among Denmark’s famous attractions. It has also served as the country’s symbol, something that can be likened to that of New York’s Statue of Liberty or Paris’ Eiffel Tower.

It is said that the mermaid statue in Copenhagen receives over one million visits per year. There are thousands of t-shirts, post cards, and other items produced as souvenirs for tourists. It is easily believable why the mermaid statue in Copenhagen is one of the world’s most photographed figures.

The mermaid statue in Copenhagen shows the mermaid during her transition from mermaid to human. She can be seen naked with her bare breasts and exposed half tail half feet. She relives her most famous form when waves hit the rock she is sitting on.

Even if tourists flock to this very popular sight, the mermaid statue in Copenhagen does not earn everybody’s appreciation. Some insist that she is too small, only about four feet high. Moreover, it has been through several harsh circumstances. On April 24, 1964, the mermaid statue in Copenhagen was vandalized. Her head was cut off and was never found. The head was replaced, but the vandals did not stop. On July 22, 1984, it was her right arm’s turn to be sawn off. However, the two vandals returned it two days after. Another attempt to saw her head happened in the year 1990, fortunately, it only left a deep cut in her neck. But she did lose her head again on January 6, 1998, but it was anonymously turned over to a local TV station and was out back on the statue less than a month after.

The Little Mermaid’s challenges do not stop when the story ends. Today, she faces several bouts but continues to earn endless approvals from her audiences as well.