Local Fad

Okay, only in America (well...maybe Japan) would an airport's former carpet design be so popular that they would have T-shirts and socks sold from the design.  Oh, and they even had the carpet as a character used as a mascot!  Really?  A piece of carpet is a mascot?

Of course, this is a fad that will later be looked on fondly by those that endured it and say "remember back in 2015 when we had the Portland Airport carpet fad?"

You know...like pet rocks and all those other crazy fads over the years.  

As for the actual carpet?  It was so popular and synonymous with Portland that they put in a very similar design else people would revolt!  Meanwhile, the original carpet was sold and they are selling pieces of it for stupid people that would buy stuff like that.  

I just don't need a piece of worn carpet trod on by 200,000 travelers but thanks for asking...

But then again, I don't have to worry about all that now.  I'm retired and living in the south of Spain where they don't have such strange nonsense.  Until I ran into this while biking on a back road close by...

I guess weird is everywhere!