Owl Mania?

I'm really wondering what the story is behind these owl 'sculptures'... I've seen them in a myriad of locations, from a Venice Beach house to a gas station in South Los Angeles. This one was glimpsed through a fence by my classmate Tricia when we were taking photos in her neighborhood (Bucktown).

My conjecture is that these were really big in the '70s and they're just left over from that time? Perhaps they're the more mysterious cousin of the lawn gnome?