The piece was selected by City Council in 2002. The committee chose four pieces, all in the "animal" theme, to be places at City Hall and in three City Wards.

"Red Rascal" was purchased prior to the City of Thornton establishing an official public art program. At the time, the Public Art Committee was City Council members, and sculptures were mostly purchased from catalogs or artist websites.

As public art staff were hired, Thornton expanded into commissioning sculptures created specific for the community and city's needs.

The sculpture edition is also known as "Little Red Rascal" in sculpture catalogs and advertisements.