A field guide to muffler men and other fiberglass giants

In the early 1960s a fiberglass company in Venice, California, began selling a lumberjack figure about 20 feet (6 m) tall. Businesses bought him as a roadside advertisement that no driver could miss. Over the following years the same molds turned into cowboys, astronauts, pirates and, most famously, a muffler-shop mascot holding an exhaust pipe. That last job gave the whole family its nickname: muffler men.

How to spot one

Look at the hands. The original lumberjack held an axe, so the right palm faces up and the left faces down. Many figures still have that pose even though they now hold a hot dog, a rocket, a golf club or nothing at all. Other giveaways are the square jaw, the slightly stiff stance and seams where the body was bolted together in sections for transport.

Variations on the theme

The same workshop and its imitators produced other characters too: smiling female figures, giant chickens, dinosaurs, cows and Native American chiefs. Some were made from the original molds with new heads; others were one-offs commissioned by a single business. Not every giant is a true muffler man, and fans love to argue about which are originals.

Where they are now

Many were scrapped when businesses closed, but collectors and towns have saved dozens, often after a local fundraising campaign. Some have moved hundreds of miles to new homes. The Gemini Giant in Wilmington, Illinois, an astronaut holding a rocket, is the best-known one on Route 66, and several more stand along the old road. Filter the planner's Oddities category and you will find giants within a short detour of almost any interstate.

Visiting etiquette

Many of these figures stand in front of businesses that are still open. Buy a coffee or a souvenir, ask before you climb on anything, and park where you are not blocking customers. Share your photos and tag the business: attention from visitors is often what keeps a giant from being sold off or left to fade.