A common eyesore, the design of standard electricity pylons has hardly changed since the 1920s. Thanks to a new “Pylon Design” competition held by the UK’s Department of Energy & Climate Change, that could be about to change. The creative ideas for the revamped electricity poles – made possible by plastics, or, to be more exact, by composites – range from flowers to totem poles and even a person, who – akin to a giant marionette – is juggling the wires through which the juice of modern life is flowing. First place in the competition went to Denmark’s Bystrup architectural firm, meaning Scandinavian design will not only dominate the inside of the house – as it does already the world over – but will now grace green fields, too.

Parents should be advised that despite the funky design, children should not touch the state-of-the-art pylons – not even with a ten foot pole – no matter how much they may resemble the fairytale’s beanstock or for that matter the giant.