I Give You Muffler Man
A Bit from Ralph Waldo
The famous road tripper, Ralph Waldo Emerson, once said, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” Ralph really got it right on this one. When I travel, I make a point to research the path of the journey. What interesting sites happen to be in range of my travel path? Sometimes, I find reoccurring roadside attractions that create nationwide scavenger hunts that entertain me for years of travel. I have several of these scavenger hunts currently in operation. When I gather enough examples of these roadside attractions across the nation, I do a post. In that light, I give you Muffler Man.
History and the Basics
Sorry, but some brief history is necessary for this post. It started with a guy named Bob Prewitt. Mr. Prewitt made giant fiberglass statues for a variety of purposes. Then, in the early 1960s, he sold his business to International Fiberglass in Venice, California. For about 10 years, International Fiberglass cranked out hundreds of these giant statues. They were iconic, marketing beacons spread throughout various businesses across the USA. The basic body of the Muffler Man remains mostly the same. But, the manufacturers can swap out the fiberglass molds to make different heads, torsos, arm positions and objects being held. Naturally, the final paint job depends on the company that commissioned the work. There are 4 common versions of the Muffler Man: Big John, Cowboy, Bunyan and Brave…
Remember, all Muffler Men are at least 50 years old. Each one had it’s own life. Some lives have been better than others. Therefore, you will find them in various states of repair and disrepair. It’s rare to find one in it’s original location. Muffler Men get resold all the time. Each time they are sold, there is a new paint job to support the marketing of the new owner.
There are a couple other rarer versions of the Muffler Man statues. But, I have not acquired these rarities yet. The classic format is about 20′ tall with the right palm up and the left palm down. They can be holding anything. Obviously, a muffler was one of the most common. Actually, the very first Muffler Man was Louie the Lumberjack in front of the Lumberjack Cafe in Flagstaff, AZ. I have not been there yet, but do not doubt that I will eventually get Louie.
Endangered Species
While it may be a myth that polar bear populations are declining, it is not a myth that the Muffler Man population is declining. There were something approaching a thousand Muffler Men made between the early 1960s to the early 1970s. However, due to raw material costs and transportation issues, manufacturing ended after about 10 years. Now, 50-60 years later, time has taken a toll on the Muffler Man population. Experts say that only about 180 Muffler Men remain in the wild. So, you need to take this threat to Muffler Man seriously. Get on the road and make your own Muffler Man memories before they are gone forever. Here’s how you find them…
At the end of this post, the second link at bottom will take you to this interactive map. You can expand it to determine the exact location of every Muffler Man still alive in the wild. If you click on the individual picture, information will be provided as to the exact location. It’s a must have for anyone who cares about Muffler Men.
Just a Few More
I just wanted to offer up a couple more morsels on Muffler Men. You never know where to find them. Sometimes, you have to risk trespassing to get the essential Kodak moment. The first picture below is actually in someone’s front yard in the middle of nowhere Colorado. I was deep in MAGA country for this one, and the dog was not happy with my intrusion. I quickly took the picture before the owner decided to stand his ground.
Furthermore, the only Brave that I have encountered so far is somewhat of a celebrity. In one of the previous pictures, you saw PT standing with the Brave statue in Montpelier, IN. Well, the split screen shot (immediately above-right) is a screen shot of the same Brave. That Brave appears in the opening video for the popular TV comedy, “Parks and Recs.” The show setting is the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana. While Pawnee is fictional, it’s based on the real town of Muncie, IN. The village where the Brave statue stands is in the close vicinity of Muncie.
Wrap It Up
Now you know the story of the endangered Muffler Men. Please do not stand idly by. Use the map link below to visit all the Muffler Men that you can while you travel. Travel scavenger hunts provide roadside fun for the whole family. I actually have several active travel scavenger hunts. The first link at the bottom is to my original post on Thomas Dambo’s Trolls. These trolls continue to propagate and I continue to track them down. Look for my second troll post in the months to come. I also have a ongoing travel quest based on the world wide effort called Kcymaeryxthaere. Kcymaerthaere is just a bit to complex and weird to get into now. Have a wonderful day. PT
I hope you have enjoyed “I Give You Muffler Man” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.
Here is another of my ongoing travel scavenger hunts… https://travelingwithpt.com/great-troll-hunt-of-2020/
Here is the interactive map so you can start collecting you own Muffle Man memories https://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/theme/86
P.S. Undoubtedly, sparked by PugsleyTonks’ interest in Muffler Men, the national interest is growing. In the course of my research, I discovered that someone is planning a Muffler Man museum, opening in the coming months. This person prefers the name of American Giants. Be that as it may, his museum is supposed to be the largest collection of American Giants in one location. I have joined their mailing list. I can see a road trip in my near future to Atlanta, Illinois. https://www.americangiantsmuseum.com/
