The baby Whale that appeared out of the blue

A small Whale made for no official reason

Salt Lake City resident Michael Claflin made a miniature version of Out of the Blue as a personal side project in 2026. He painted it with materials he had at home, borrowing the colors of Michael Murdock's mural on the full-size sculpture.

This was not a city commission or a permanent addition to the public artwork. It began as something Claflin thought might be funny in his yard, then accompanied him on a 999 community ride.

The journey nobody can fully explain

After the ride, Claflin left the little Whale in a different, unexpected place outside the city center. While he was away, someone found it and moved it to the base of the 9th and 9th Whale. Claflin learned what had happened after seeing the pair together online.

The unknown part matters. One person made the calf, another person completed its journey, and thousands of neighbors supplied the family story. A loose object became public folklore through several small acts that were never centrally planned.

Where did the baby Whale go?

The calf's location is not permanent. Salt Lake City regularly clears offerings and other objects from the roundabout, and community posts on August 1 reported that the baby Whale was no longer beside the main sculpture. We have not found an authoritative account of its current location.

That means this page records an appearance, not a visitor promise. If the calf returns somewhere else, its wandering will be part of the documented story once a reliable source catches up.

Where documentation ends

Michael Claflin made the replica, an unidentified person moved it to the roundabout, and people embraced it as the Whale's baby. Those facts are reported. Claims that the gnomes delivered it, that marathon sweat caused the birth, or that the calf controls the next snow season are community jokes or Whale Fortunes fiction.