#memesmith

Cartoon scavenger hunts brighten Portland

Giant cartoon cutouts are popping up in parts of Portland, Oregon, in the US, thanks to one man's love of scavenger hunts and his dream to "just put a smile on people's faces".

By day, Mike Bennett spends his time in an estate agent's office, working on spreadsheets, administration and paperwork.

By night, he is in his home workshop, using recycled wood and paint picked up free from Craigslist to give physical form to online memes and childhood cartoon favourites, such as Spongebob Squarepants, Pokemon's Pikachu, Futurama's Fry, and Homer Simpson.

At first, they were displayed in his garden - but three times over the past fortnight, he has unleashed his creations across Portland, leaving clues to their whereabouts on the city's Reddit forum and earning himself the title of Regional Memesmith, from its moderators,in the process.