CLEBURNE, Texas — For former next-door neighbors Sandy Blunck and Cody Long, there is no better Christmas movie out there than "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."
"It's just everything goes wrong and it's just how life is most of the time when it comes to Christmastime," Blunck said.
And there's no better character in that movie, the men say, than Cousin Eddie.
"I love where he’s emptying the chemical sewer out in the street," Blunck said.
Blunck loves him so much that a few years ago he bought a mannequin, a bathrobe and all the other identifying details and constructed a Cousin Eddie replica to go at the edge of his Cleburne driveway.
"Hose and all," he said. "Actually I had green lights coming out of the hose."
It was an instant sensation, making the front page of the paper and getting everyone's attention. On Facebook, you'll find selfie after selfie with the mannequin.
"You’d see them slowing down and taking video of him," Long recalled of drivers up and down Nolan River Road.
The problem is that this year it got the attention of the wrong people.
"Had no idea though the impact he had on the community until, you know, he went missing," Long said.
You see, Blunck moved this fall and left Cousin Eddie with Long, at Long's request. But this Sunday night around 11, someone stole Cousin Eddie in all his robed glory right from Long's front yard.
Long immediately took to his local Facebook group to voice his displeasure and he was shocked at how many people cared, sharing his feelings.
"It was shared over 300 times," he said.
"Oh no, Not Cousin Eddie! We love seeing him every year," Long said, reading some of the comments.
While they haven't found him yet, they have found incredible support. A stranger made them shirts that say "Find Cousin Eddie #justiceforcousineddie" and some have even offered to form search parties.
"We’re just blown away," Blunck said. "It’s a mannequin, I mean, you know? It’s a mannequin!"
Turns out, the lovable loon was more than that to a lot of people.
"There’ll be another one out there next year," the men pledge.
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