Nothing funny about cancer. Especially not colon cancer. Is it just me or is it odd to build a life sized, crawl-through model of a colon - complete with depictions of numerous diseases and hemorrhoids? How about if characters like “Polyp Man” and “Eneman” are your tour guides?

“Coco,” as the Colossal Colon® is affectionately known, is a 40-foot long, 4-foot tall oversized model of the human colon that is designed to educate about colorectal cancer and other diseases of the colon. Visitors who crawl through the Colossal Colon will see Crohn’s disease, diverticulosis, ulcerative colitis, hemorrhoids, cancerous and non-cancerous polyps, and various stages of colon cancer.

Tour the Colossal Colon on exhibit at the Indiana State Fair’s Clarian Healthy Lifestyle Pavillion from August 6 to 17, 2008. I’d recommend skipping the deep fried Twinkies that day. As a matter of fact I’m guessing you won’t want any lunch for the rest of the month after viewing this beautiful exhibit. BTW, in case you’re interested - the Colossal Colon is for rent. Birthday Party anyone? More pictures next page - if you dare..

Here’s the Colossal Colon setup on a tour of a mall:

Kids - if you crawl through the Colossal Colon, claim your t-shirt at the other end.

Can any tour of the colon be complete without a lecture from “Fiber Man”?

Inside the Colossal Colon you can view a hemorrhoid up close and personal. Take a picture if you like.

If you miss seeing the Colossal Colon at the Indiana State Fair - don’t despair. Those of you in North Little Rock Arkansas can join EneMan, Captain Colon and other characters for the first walk of any kind. This the launch of their 2009 Colondar (not kidding). They promise once you walk to the other side that they’ll have refreshments. I’m guessing they’ll serve high fiber bars?

Colossal Colon via MetaFilter