'Statue' busker punches heckler in face

A Queensland street performer lost his cool when a heckler went too far, punching the man in the face while his shocked audience looked on.

The busker, decked out like a cowboy statue, brought a touch of Wild West retribution to Surfers Paradise when a passerby repeatedly entered his personal space.

The heckler was caught on camera adjusting the street performer's costume, tickling him, and even giving him a 'wet willie' with a saliva-moistened finger.

But what finally caused the performer to lose his cool was a full-frontal assault on his mustache.

The punch was swift and met with a shocked "ooh!" from onlookers that wouldn't have been amiss on a canned audience reel.

Neither the busker nor the heckler have yet been identified, although the video was viewed hundreds of thousands of times on its first day on Youtube.