The sculpture began to attract pranksters who dressed the surfer in various attire, costumes, even with extended backdrops, which at times approached vandalism. The list of such pranks is extensive, often coordinated with current events: a pink pleated skirt, bikini top and lucha libre wrestling mask; a Zorro costume; a pumpkin head (at Halloween); a Santa Claus hat (at Christmas); a full Uncle Sam costume for United States Independence Day; the hood of the prisoner on a box photograph from Abu Ghraib prison; a clown costume; a loincloth and surrounded by a prehistoric setting while being snatched up by a sculpted pterodactyl in flight; and a papier mâché statue of a shark about to swallow up the surfer from beneath.