Gorilla for Sale?

Like so many other passersby over the years, Theresa Castellano always enjoyed the life-sized animal statues placed throughout the property of Barbara and Lou Prigge, whose expansive property on Collier Boulevard has welcomed visitors to the island for decades. Known by many as the Christmas House, the Prigge's yard has long been a holiday favorite on the island. But it was a gorilla statue that captured Castellano’s heart.

Barbara Prigge passed in 2022 and husband Lou passed last May. Recently, daughter Crystal Foster decided it was time to find a new home for the gorilla.

"They had a full-sized lion,” Foster said of her parents. "It was stolen. And then mom found the gorilla and purchased it for my dad. She always called it Elvis. The new owners are Mike and Theresa Castellano of Capri Fish House. It's going to be at Capri Fish House, and they're going to put a plaque in honor of my mom and dad. And it's because of Leon, their grandson, who has made it all happen. He came and talked to me. He said, ‘My grandmother really likes that gorilla. Is it for sale?' And I said, 'yes it is.' And he says, 'I'm going to bring her back.' And so he and Theresa came back.”

"I've always admired him in the front yard and all the other animals that they had,” Castellano said, “the elephant and the giraffe. The lion I don't remember much, but the gorilla, yeah, I’ve always loved it. I always said to my grandson, 'See the gorilla!’ Then she had the yard sale and my grandson went to the yard sale and asked if it's for sale. He brought me back and I made an offer and Crystal accepted it."