Mary Poppins Crosswalk Lights Installed in the Hometown of P.L. Travers

The city of Maryborough in Queensland, Australia, has been taken over by a certain umbrella-toting nanny. As Boing Boing reports, some of the crosswalks in the town have been updated to feature Mary Poppins’s silhouette.

The character's relationship to the community dates back to 1934 when Maryborough native and children’s book author P.L. Travers published the first installment of her Mary Poppins series. Since then, the story has been adapted by Disney for the screen and stage, but its origins in the Australian city haven’t been forgotten.

The first of the new lights went up earlier this month outside the building where Travers was born. They’re modeled after the symbols traditionally seen in crosswalks, the major difference being the open umbrella Poppins carries when the light is green and the closed umbrella she holds when it’s red.

The installation coincides with the Mary Poppins Festival held in Maryborough each summer. This year’s celebration is set for June 23 to July 2 and will include storytelling sessions, nanny races, and chimney sweep challenges.

[h/t Boing Boing]