Doughnut on display in Springfield, New Zealand

An oversized delight has been erected in the small town of Springfield, Canterbury, New Zealand, as part of the 20th Century Fox massive worldwide marketing campaign for The Simpsons Movie.

The giant, pink frosted doughnut was made locally, and the locals are celebrating the fact that their town shares a name with the fictional town of Springfield in the hit Fox cartoon series.

The series screens on both TV3 and Sky 1 locally, with the movie set for release nationwide on July 26, 2007. However, the movie will not be screened locally, with residents having to travel to Christchurch to watch the movie.

Springfield Township Committee chairman William Townshend says not to get too excited about the piece as it only has a resource consent that allows it to be erected for two months. He also said those hoping for a piece would be disappointed. "It is definitely not edible."

Ainslie Burton, spokesperson for the visitor information centre, says the doughnut will be hard to miss.

An estimated 3,000 people attended today's unveiling at midday (NZST), Springfield's 2001 population was 219.