Mystery of the missing fruit statue solved after mango found in Bowen paddock and chicken chain claims responsibility for stunt

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

The chicken restaurant chain Nando’s has claimed responsibility for the disappearance of a giant mango from the town of Bowen.

The three-storey, 10-tonne fruit statue went missing on Monday from the tourist information centre in the north Queensland town.

News of the “theft” of the big mango hit international headlines, aided by CCTV footage, photos and media releases sent out by the Bowen centre staff.

However questions were raised in the afternoon when it was discovered no police report had been made, and Guardian Australia linked one of the media releases to a Sydney advertising agency.

On Tuesday morning the mystery looked to be unravelling, as a caller named Bob told ABC radio in Queensland that he found the mango covered by tarps and branches in a paddock behind the information centre.

“There’s an old road that leads up into the scrub from the back of the information centre,” said Bob.

“What they’ve done is put it on a truck and taken it up there and laid it on its side in the bush, and at the end that’s facing towards Bowen they’ve covered it up with tree branches and shade cloths so nobody can see it.”

Presenter Paula Tapiolas asked Bob if he had seen it for himself.

“Yeah I went up the paddock this morning,” said Bob.

“It’s a pretty hard thing to hide.”

Alex Chambers (@HyperactiveAlex) Bowen's big mango found! It seems it was all Nandos fault - a new promotion for a sauce #bowen #mango #mangogate pic.twitter.com/nRDfnB1oUE

And it was eventually confirmed the entire stunt was the work of chicken restaurant chain Nando’s – a client of the aforementioned agency – which thanked the residents of Bowen for being “good sports”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Nando’s reveal how they nabbed Bowen’s big mango.

On Monday a member of staff at the tourist centre had denied the disappearance was a hoax, telling Guardian Australia she “wished it was”.

The advertising agency linked to the release said on Monday it was simply helping a friend locate the mango, but refused to categorically deny it was a marketing ploy.

The mango’s disappearance caught the imagination of many social media users and appeared to pop up in some pretty inventive places.