Kazakhstan’s historical figures have become the first victim of the 21st century trend after locals likened the monument to hobbits taking a ‘selfie’.

The statue in the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk was built to honour two important figures — Abay Kunanbayev, a local writer and thinker, and Yevgeny Mikhaelis, a Russian scientist and pro-democracy activist who was exiled to eastern Kazakhstan, according to reports in the BBC.

However, it immediately attracted the scorn of locals who took to social media to point out that the figures looked like they were taking a selfie.

Other people pointed out their similarity to hobbits, according to local news reports in Nur.kz.

Even one of the co-authors of the monument, Vladimir Samoylov, admitted that there was something wrong with it.

The sculptors were given too little time to finish the monument, he told a news website based in Ust-Kamenogorsk.

“We were in a huge rush, and look what happened.”

Following the criticism, the monument was removed on 24 June, just one day after it was erected at the intersection of Abay Avenue and Mikhaelis Street.

It “deviated from the agreed design”, and the sculptors were told to correct the deviations as soon as possible, the local government told Tengri News.