Kentucky State Fair removes ribbon-winning miniature after realizing it depicted a porn set

!nooticers

^{A sweat stain on the couch is visible at close examination.}

A winning miniature set in the Kentucky State Fair entitled "The Casting Couch" was removed from display for being inappropriate — after officials realized it depicted an infamous adult film set.

Preston Poling's set, which nabbed a third-place prize, was minimally constructed and consisted of white walls, a door, a window with blinds, a gray carpet, a black leather couch, a battered office chair and a computer monitor connected to a camera.

Closer examination shows that the computer screen has a replica of the couch on the screen — and has a red circle in the upper-right-hand corner, indicative of a record button.

"The whole thing is basically just an inside joke," Poling told The Post Friday. "I wanted to enter it into the fair to see if people could catch on to the concept.

"Either you get the joke or you don't."

Poling, 42, said he deliberately avoided putting his magnetic title placard on the set when he entered it. Instead, he waited to see if people would connect the tawdry dots.

The design was awarded third place in the "I Did it My Way" category, a more open-ended entry option, Poling said.

"I submitted a piece that was kitschy," he insisted. "It's just tongue-in-cheek."

The self-taught builder said he wasn't trying to be inappropriate or offensive, but wanted people to have fun with his display, adding that some miniature exhibits can be a bit repetitive and could run the risk of turning into a "snooze-fest."

Poling added that "the guys" who may have been dragged to look at the miniature displays "got to enjoy a build that was meant specifically for them, in an area they might not otherwise be entertained."

He said he put a lot of effort into making the build look cheap and rough-hewed, using pastels, lacquer and sandpaper to make the furniture look somewhat worn.

Photos of the naughty display even show a sweat stain on the couch, to imply that it was indeed used.

The drama unfolded when Poling was alerted by friends that his design had vanished. He posted a "missing" alert on his Instagram page, "the_bearded_miniaturist," and when he went down to the fairgrounds, he saw that his set was indeed absent.

The Kentucky State Police were called after it was initially thought his popular set was stolen, only to learn in the melee that it had been removed, Poling said.

The miniaturist was told the build was removed because it was deemed inappropriate but said the state fair has allowed him to keep his winning ribbons and the other miniatures on display at the fair.

Poling had also won best in show for his miniature scene from AMC's "The Walking Dead" and a craftsmanship award for his miniature based on the classic book "Goodnight Moon."

The artist, who owns a residential painting company in Louisville, said he only picked up the design hobby in 2020 out of boredom from the pandemic, re-creating the iconic living room from "Frasier." That set won first place in the dollhouse category at that year's fair.

"Entries submitted to the fair are routinely reviewed throughout the event and the entry in question has been removed from display at this time," the Kentucky State Fair said in a statement Friday night when asked about the set snafu.

This isn't Poling's first racy run-in with fair officials.

A piece he described as a "creepy s*x dungeon" was removed before judging last year.