Following a four-hour debate in the council chamber on Thursday night, a Swedish town has finally approved a large bronze statue of Pinocchio, an animated marionette whose nose grows if he lies.

The erection of the controversial statue stirred debate in the two towns and finally the proposal was approved by a vote. Created by Italian author Carlo Collodi, the character has a 1940 Disney film of the same name that was illustrated by Swede Gustaf Tenggren.

It is in the honor of Gustaf Tenggren, who hails from nearby town of Alingsas, that the tall Boras Pinocchio statue would now be erected. The idea is the brainchild of American pop-artist Jim Dine, who has special interest in the Pinocchio story.

A group of local people have banded together to raise $1.2 million to get the statue to Boras. The Adventures of Pinocchio (original title Le avventure di Pinocchio) is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi.

It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio, an animated marionette and his poor father, a woodcarver named Geppetto. It is considered a classic of children's literature, which has spawned many derivative works of art, such as Disney's classic 1940 animated movie of the same name, and commonplace ideas, such as a liar's long nose.