People are hanging up sex toys on power lines all over Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. — Hundreds of phallic sex toys have been seen hanging in recent days from power lines across Portland, Oregon, provoking laughter, blushing and lots of photos.

The large white and bright orange dildos appear to have been strung together in pairs, and have prompted numerous reports to the Portland Office of Neighborhood Involvement, department spokeswoman Lisa Leddy said on Monday.

A spokesman for public utility Portland General Electric said he did not believe the rubber products posed a fire hazard.

In online forums, Portlanders posted photos of dildos swaying in the wind above a number of major commercial streets, and speculated about their origins.

Portland resident Lucila Cejas Epple said she first encountered the phalluses at a neighborhood street fair over the weekend.

"You could spot them in several intersections and you could see all sorts of reactions to them," she said. "Some would blush, others would laugh, and most would take photos."