A stolen downtown sculpture named “Polywiggle” resurfaced Thursday afternoon, hours after a plea went out to the public to help find it.

“I am so relieved and grateful to be a Lawrencian,” Arts Commissioner Jeff Ridgway said after the sculpture had been returned anonymously.

Polywiggle, a sculpture on loan from Cedar Falls, Iowa, artist Bounnak Thammavong, went missing from its display at Ninth and Massachusetts streets. The sculpture was anonymously returned on Thursday.

Police said Thursday morning that a vandal had stolen the 250-pound top half of the sculpture, which is made of painted steel and resembles an abstract tadpole. The work is on loan from Cedar Falls, Iowa, sculptor Bounnak Thammavong and had been on display since last summer at Ninth and Massachusetts streets as part of the 17th annual Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition.

About five hours after a breaking news report on ljworld.com asked for the public’s help finding the sculpture, it arrived on the front porch of an acquaintance of Ridgway’s.

“It’s wrapped up in a ratty old blanket duct-taped at both ends,” Ridgway said. “It seems to be in one piece.”

The $8,000 sculpture, which the city only has insured for $5,000, disappeared sometime around New Year’s Eve but wasn’t reported stolen immediately because people who noticed it was missing thought it might have been removed for maintenance, police said.

“Somebody of fairly significant strength and determination must have had to work at it to snap it off,” Ridgway said.

It’s not the first time someone has tampered with one of the popular street sculptures. Another work in this year’s exhibition, “Self Portrait as a Midget,” had to be moved from its spot on Eighth and Massachusetts streets last summer after being damaged by vandals. The sculpture is now in front of the Judicial & Law Enforcement Center, at 11th and New Hampshire streets.

6News video: Top half of vandalized downtown sculpture has been found (01-20-05) On the Street: What should the city do to keep our downtown artwork safe?

Ridgway said that as far as he knew, ‘Polywiggle’ was the first downtown sculpture to actually have been stolen.

— 6News reporter/anchor Janet Reid contributed information for this article.