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A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared via phone at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of property damage.

In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council said that surveillance video captured a individual putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the magistrate advising her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.

A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without damaging the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

She added the local government would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.

At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and design.

Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.