You would be forgiven for not having Cheadle, Alta., on your radar.
But the small hamlet of fewer than 100 people located about 35 kilometres east of Calgary is suddenly gaining a lot of attention.
Over the weekend, a strange, colourful object appeared on the horizon. The 17-foot sculpture of three orange-dusted fingers holding a distinct puffy snack has since become a social media sensation.
“I got two messages on my phone: one from my friend who is also a Cheeto fanatic and one from my husband who said ‘you won’t believe this, there’s a giant Cheeto in Cheadle Alberta which is 30 minutes from Calgary.’ So I jumped in my car and came to see it myself,'” said Calgary visitor Audrey Groenenberg.
The sculpture was created by a local movie prop artist, in collaboration with the Cheadle Community Club and Cheeto owners PepsiCo Foods Canada.
It selected Cheadle as the sculpture’s temporary home, suggesting the orange residue the snack leaves on your fingers shares a kindred name — cheetle.
“There’s been quite a bit of traffic,” said Cheadle resident Lana Smith.
“It puts the place on the map.”
The landmark is expected to remain in place until Nov. 4, at which time it will be rehomed by PepsiCo Foods Canada.