Don Featherstone, the inventor of the infamous pink plastic lawn flamingo, has passed away at the age of 79.
Although he didn’t invent the Phoenicopterus ruber, also known as the greater flamingo, he did invent its sister, which he officially titled the Phoenicopterus ruber plasticus.
Featherstone had no idea that his invention would become the official bird of Madison, Wisconsin, or that he would go on to win an Ig Nobel Prize, an annual satirical award honoring his contributions to lawn decor.
Although Featherstone designed hundreds of lawn ornaments over his time at the plastic lawn ornament company Union Products, he will likely be best remembered for this one.