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Mammoth Chinatown Snowman Still Growing on Canal Street

By Patrick Hedlund | January 25, 2011 3:31pm

By Patrick Hedlund

DNAinfo News Editor

CHINATOWN — There's at least one man smiling through all the city's snow and sub-freezing weather.

A mammoth snowman at the corner of Canal and Essex streets has been the subject of many double takes and cell phone pictures since it began taking shape after the Christmas blizzard.

As the snowman grew, so did its following — and now the seasonal visitor even has its own Facebook page, Bowery Boogie noted.

The giant snowman — which boasts a shovel and push broom for arms, traffic cone for a hat, garbage bag for a scarf, and fruits and vegetables for its eyes and nose — is the creation of new storeowners who recently set up shop at the busy intersection.

"It's very beautiful to build a snowman," said Shan Fu owner Chai Hong Chen through a translator, explaining her husband constructed the original snowman last month before reshaping it into a towering attraction.

He took advantage of the recent snowfall and accompanying cold snap to build the snowman even higher and fortify the massive mound with ice, Chen added.

The 7-foot tall winter wonder has since become a local celebrity, with many stopping to gawk at the grinning figure and take its photo.

Chen acknowledged that this was her husband's first attempt at building a snowman, and that he did it to draw more patrons into to their new grocery store.

"It has brought in a lot more people," she said through a translator. "Everyone is taking pictures."

Alexis Richland, 34, lives down the street and brought the 3-year-old boy she babysits to see the snowman Tuesday.

"It's provided us with tremendous joy," said Richland. "It's wonderful — we love it."