We’ve seen David Ortiz in many forms this season. There was the life-size statue made of Legos and the corn maze, the controversial bobblehead, and his likeness on a scented candle. Indeed, people have found creative ways of paying homage to Big Papi during his final season. As the Red Sox slugger leads up to retirement, we’re sure to see more tributes commemorating Ortiz’s career. But here are our 10 favorites so far.
THE SCENTED CANDLE
Yankee Candle came out with a David Ortiz candle, but, no, it does not smell like him. It turns out the fragrance is an existing scent known as “MidSummer’s Night,’’ which Ortiz personally picked out, and is described as “an intoxicating and masculine blend of musk, patchouli, sage, and mahogany cologne.’’ For every candle sold, the company donated $20 to the David Ortiz Children’s Fund. The candle sold out online, but there are still some available in stores.
BIG PAPI SURFBOARD
Ortiz has received plenty of parting gifts over the course of the season: The Seattle Mariners gave him salmon, the Toronto Blue Jays gave him two Canada Goose jackets, the White Sox gave him a humidor and cigars, the Rangers gave him a belt buckle and customized cowboy boots. But one of the most unique presents came from the Padres, who presented him with his very own surfboard.
PAPI GNOME
On the first day of summer, the Red Sox introduced an interesting giveaway: the Papi Gnome. The team declared June 21 to be “Ortiz Gnome Night’’ at Fenway.
STREET SIGN
City officials in Fort Myers, Fla., named a street “David Ortiz Way’’ and presented Ortiz with a street sign before a spring training game.
CORN MAZE
Big Papi is featured in a corn maze in Sterling. The rows of corn at Davis Mega Maze were shaped to depict Ortiz sporting sunglasses with his fingers pointed upward, along with the message “Thanks Big Papi.’’
LEGO STATUE
Lego master builder Erik Varszegi recently unveiled a larger-than-life-size Lego model of Ortiz at Fenway Park. The 6-foot 7-inch statue (Ortiz is 6-foot-3) was made out of 34,510 Lego bricks and took more than 290 hours to create.
DOUGHNUTS
Dunkin’ Donuts presented Ortiz with #34 doughnuts and koozie. Big Papi is also featured in a gigantic portrait — made of doughnuts — on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.
BIG PAPI PAINTINGS
Other artists have chosen to immortalize the Red Sox legend. On July 28, the Los Angeles Angels unveiled a painting of Ortiz before their game against the Sox. More recently, artist Brian “Bdub’’ Wentworth painted a mural of Big Papi at Assembly Row in Somerville. It took him five hours to complete.
DINNER PLATES
With all of these tributes and product placements, Ortiz dinnerware may not be a far-fetched idea after all. A 3-piece china set featuring the slugger’s face appears in a new Xfinity commercial (but as far as we can tell, the dishes don’t really exist). In the ad, Ortiz pokes a little fun at himself and our rampant consumerism. “These are very handsome plates, but ask yourself, who needs plates with their face on them?’’
THAT BOBBLEHEAD
Controversy swirled over thisRed Sox promo item. In August, Sox president Sam Kennedy ended up canceling the bobblehead giveaway because he felt the souvenirs didn’t look like Big Papi. “It was an inaccurate portrayal of David,’’ Kennedy said to the Globe. “No. 2, I personally thought it seemed to be an offensive portrayal of him and the facial features were racially insensitive. If I was feeling this way, certainly other people would. So we pulled the plug.’’
