| Big Critters |
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| DOGS | |||||
| Nipper Albany, NY |
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| Nipper Baltimore, MD |
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Nipper was a Fox Terrier and Bull Terrier mix that became the symbol for RCA Music. A painting of him posed with an ear cocked towards an old-fashioned victrola became their logo. This 25' tall likeness, the largest man-made dog in the world, was built in 1954 and placed atop the RCA building in Albany. It has a steel frame and composite body and weighs 4 tons. His name is inscribed on his collar. Originally, there was also a Victrola box with horn.
Arnoff Moving and Storage bought and renovated the Albany building and Nipper in 1997. Because of Nipper's height and position on the roof, he has an aircraft beacon on his right ear. There is a steep set of stairs inside Nipper for changing the bulbs. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4. The Baltimore Nipper statue is 18' tall. It was originally installed on the RCA building in Baltimore around 1950. When RCA temporarily discontinued using the icon in 1975, the statue was sold to Jim Wells. The statue was put on display in Merrifield, VA. Later, Wells sold the statue to Baltimore and it was placed in a park. It is now located on the roof of the Maryland Historical Society. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Nipper statues Dover, DE |
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| These Nipper statues are just some of those located at the Johnson Victrola Museum. The largest statue, shown in the first two photos above, appears to be about 5' tall. I don't know where he was originally located. For more, see this website. |
| St. Bernard & Nipper statues Château-Richer, QC |
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| These St. Bernard & Nipper statues are located at Boutique Nanouk. This gift and souvenir shop opened in 1961. These statues were constructed for a winter festival parade float in the 1980s. In addition, there is a more traditional giant Nipper statue on their porch. |
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More Nipper Statues:
Brimfield, MA Saint Louis Park, MN Okayama, Japan Bristol, UK |
| Great Dane Savannah, GA |
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| The 20' tall fiberglass Great Dane stands in front of the Great Dane Trailers headquarters. The Great Dane has been their company symbol since 1931. This statue was built in 1960 and originally installed in Orlando, FL. It was knocked over in 1979 during Hurricane David and again in 1980 by a tornado. The giant dog was knocked over again in the late 1990s by a hit-and-run driver. When the Orlando facility closed in 2001, he was moved here. He is dressed up for holidays: a green derby hat for St. Patrick's Day and an Uncle Sam hat for the Fourth of July. He wears a Santa hat and wreath around his neck for Christmas. For more, see this website. |
| Pharaoh's Theme and Water Park Redlands, CA |
Bulldog Woodstock, ON |
Uga Athens, GA |
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This dog statue stands at the entrance to Pharaoh's Theme and Water Park which closed in 2006. The statue's head is Anubis-like however the body is not human like the traditional depictions of the god. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.
I believe this Bulldog was previously located in New Hamburg, ON. It is now part of Windmill Hill which is Cliff and Frances Bruce's collection of windmills, whirligigs, signs and other statues. For more, see this website. There are numerous Bulldogs around Athens which is the home to the University of Georgia's Bulldogs football team. The team also has a live mascot at its games. This statue of Uga stands in front of Memorial Hall. I believe there are two bronze Bulldog statues inside the stadium. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. |
| Giant Dog Beaverton, OR |
Giant Dog Glyndon, MN |
Giant Dog Dillon, SC |
Giant Dog Winter Haven, FL |
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The Beaverton Giant Dog is about 6' tall and stands in front of Bark Park Dog Daycare. This business opened in 2003. This dog looks like a Standard Schnauzer to me. For more, see their website.
This sign for Boardwalk Kennels features a Husky-like dog. [photo thanks Mark Comstock] The Dillon Dog is located at South of the Border. This giant Dachshund is installed next to Pedro's Hot Dogs. This Winter Haven Dog stands in front of Little Wolfe's Pet Resort. It appears to be a giant Cocker Spaniel. |
| Giant Husky Saint-Nicolas, QC |
Giant Bulldog Mattapoisett, MA |
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This Giant Husky advertises for Le Chenil La Poursuite, a dog sledding school. For more, see their website.
The Giant Bulldog stands at the entrance to the Old Rochester Regional High School. This wood-carved Bulldog is missing his right ear. The Bulldog is this high school's mascot. |
| Doggie Diner sign Ocean Beach San Francisco, CA |
Doggie Diner heads storage yard San Francisco, CA |
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The Doggie Diner chain of hot dog stands was founded in 1949. There were about 30 locations in the Bay Area. These 9' tall fiberglass Dachshund head signs were developed around 1960. They were designed by Harold Bachman. The signs revolved on 20' tall metal poles, earning the nickname "Dachshunds on Sticks".
The Ocean Beach Doggie Diner stand opened in 1965 and was the last to close, in 1986. The stand was replaced with the Carousel Restaurant which allowed the sign to stay. In 2000, the sign was acquired by the City. After being knocked off its pole by winds and damaged in 2001, the Doggie head was meticulously restored to the original paint scheme. The sign was then reinstalled a block away from its original location. Of the approximately 50 produced, this is the sole surviving head on public display. The trio of Doggie Diner heads shown above are owned by John Law, a private collector. Nicknamed Manny, Moe and Jack, they were previously located in Emeryville for several years. They were moved to this storage yard to protect them from vandalism. The trailered trio appear at parades and special events. In 2005, they were towed behind a bus on a road trip to NYC, stopping at various roadside attractions. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. There are about eight other heads known to exist. There is one at a bed and breakfast in Mendocino County, CA and another at Streetlight Records in San Jose, CA. The others are in private collections in Fremont, San Rafael, Berkeley, Maui, HI and possibly two heads in Reno, NV. If you know of any others, I'd love to hear about them. |
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More Giant Dogs:
Sled Dog (Anchorage, AK) Barto: 1, 2 (Palmer, AK) Petersen Automotive Museum (Los Angeles, CA) Beagle (Cottonwood, ID) Balto (New York, NY) Good Dog (New York, NY) Dachshund (Dillon, SC) Hachiko Statue (Tokyo, Japan) Sheep Dog (Tirau, New Zealand) Spotty Dog: 1, 2 (Cape Town, South Africa) Jeff Koons' Puppy (Bilbao, Spain) various dog statues (various countries) |
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