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| CATS | ||||
| Giant Cougar Temple Hills, MD |
Giant Cougar Indianapolis, IN |
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The Temple Hills Cougar was on the roof of the Wilson Powell DARCARS Lincoln Mercury dealership when these photos were taken in 2004. They were remodeling and looking to sell the statue. Fortunately, that never happened and the Cougar is now located prominently in the parking lot. The Cougar has there since 1971. I believe it is made of fiberglass.
The Indianapolis Cougar has been at the Crossroads Lincoln Mercury dealership since 1974 and was originally on the roof. He used to be dressed up for the holidays. In the late 1960s, Crossroads had live cougars in their showroom. In 1977, someone shot the statue with arrows and painted bloodstains on him. In 2000, when Crossroads started selling Fords, they were required to take the Cougar down. He was repainted and moved behind the dealership. However, it looks like he might be back in front of the dealership now. [first photo thanks Crawford Appleby] |
| Lions McHenry, IL |
Giant Lion Wilmington, NC |
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These Lions have flanked the driveway of Extreme Jeep since 1997. Prior to being installed here, they were at a Toyota dealership in Evanston, IL. The fiberglass lions were created in 1975 and originally located at the entrance of "Old Chicago", a now-defunct amusement park in Bolingbrook, IL. The statues were inspired by the pair of bronze lions at Chicago's Art Institute.
The Giant Lion entrance is at Tregembo Animal Park which has been here since the 1950s. For more, see their website. |
| Panther Ochopee, FL |
Tiger Key West, FL |
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This giant Panther is located at the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters. Florida panthers are an endangered species. For more, see this website.
The Key West Tiger stands in front of Glynn Archer Elementary School. The tiger is the school's mascot. The sheet metal sculpture was produced by George Carey in 1986. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Exxon Tigers Mount Ephraim, NJ |
Esso Tiger Salisbury, MA |
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These fiberglass Exxon Tigers were located at an Exxon station in Deptford, NJ before moving here in the 1990s. The upright tiger is an example of the statues that were mass-produced for Esso in the 1960s or early 1970s. They were used in conjunction with the company's "Put a Tiger in Your Tank" advertising campaign. There are only a couple others that I know of still standing at gas stations. The smaller tiger was probably not made for Esso and might have come from a mini golf. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.
This Esso Tiger is installed on the roof of the office for Salisbury Mini Golf & Kart Land. This place was previously known as Adventure Golf. I believe it is abandoned now. These statues were located on the roof of Esso gas stations. I believe they were created in the mid-1960s. There is another one of these statues in Guymon, OK. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Tigers Detroit, MI |
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| The Detroit Tigers are at Comerica Park, the stadium of the Detroit Tigers baseball team. The sculptures were designed/created by Michael Keropian for the new stadium which opened in 2000. There are nine tigers are at ballpark's entrances. The largest one at ground level is 15' tall while a couple on the roof are 30' long. The pillars are incised with tiger scratch marks and tiger heads with baseballs in their mouths. There are also two 80' tall baseball bats. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4. |
| Giant Cat Wheat Ridge, CO |
Giant Cat [gone] Jersey City, NJ |
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The Wheat Ridge Cat is installed in front of the Cat Hospital of Wheat Ridge. The statue is about six feet tall.
The Jersey City Cat was 19' long and had been here since 1978. By 2007, it was gone. For more, see this website. |
| Giant Cat New York, NY |
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| The New York Cat is installed in front of an apartment building. The bronze statue was created by Fernando Botero in 1984. There is a duplicate statue in Barcelona, Spain. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
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More Giant Cats:
Santa Barbara, CA London, England: 1, 2, 3 Van, Turkey |
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