Mitcham Council’s new children’s playground is the talk of social media — but not only for the reasons it was hoping.

Designed by kids for kids, with a treehouse and spiral tunnel, horse rocker, and logs for climbing and balancing, the playground at Mitcham Reserve was always going to be a winner.

But it is a wooden carving of an owl atop a totem pole that is getting some excited.

A photo of the carved owl posted on the council website has received almost 50 comments, most of them consider that the sculpture has a more X-rated human form.

Comments include: “That’s some serious wood!”; “Oh, that’s unfortunate”, “You had one job” and “You asked for a hooter and got a honker”.

The owl is one of a series of carvings of native fauna and a Kaurna shield included to recognise the local indigenous people and their connection to the area.

Other carved sculptures in wood and stone include a fish, koala, giant turtle and snake.

Mitcham Council and Peter Semple Lanscape Architects worked with local schoolchildren, aged 7-12, from Scotch College and St Joseph’s at Kingswood to understand the structures and features they wanted to form the basis of the playground concept designs.

But the actual sculptures weren’t seen until the playground was opened on December 19.

Mitcham Council said they had received no complaints about the sculpture and didn’t expect to.

“It has certainly caused a reaction and some amusement within the community but all art is in the eye of the beholder,” a spokeswoman said.