| Land of the Giants |
| FLORIDA: MISC. GIANTS |
| Buccaneer Treasure Island, FL |
Pirate Ponce Inlet, FL |
Beethoven Bust Fort Myers, FL |
David St. Augustine, FL |
Knight Port Charlotte, FL |
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This Buccaneer, aka Bucky, stood on the roof of the Buccaneer Motel since about the late 1970s. The statue is about 15-20' tall. In 2005, the motel was demolished and this guy was donated to the city. In 2009, he was installed in the Community Center Park. For more, see their website.
This Pirate is installed in the parking lot of the Lighthouse Landing Restaurant. This Beethoven Bust stands at the entrance to the New University Pyramid Village. The resort was built in 2002 by Austrians which explains the Beethoven connection. For more, see this website. This 17' tall replica of Michelangelo's David is installed outside Ripley's Believe It or Not where it is discreetly concealed behind tall hedges. It was carved from marble from the same quarry as the Michelangelo original. The statue was created in 1963 for the New York World's Fair. In 1965, it was moved to the Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park, CA. The musuem closed in 2005 and, in 2007, this statue was sold to Ripley's. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. This Knight stands behind Wilson Realty and a Walgreens. Does anyone know the history of this guy? |
| George Washington Brandon, FL |
Viking Daytona Beach, FL |
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This appears to be George Washington on horseback. The statue stands in a vacant lot with a pink elephant. Perhaps they were part of a mini golf at one time. Does anyone know their history?
This Viking is located at the Sun Viking Lodge. The motel's Viking theme and statue are from 1978. For more, see their website. |
| Giant Man Floral City, FL |
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| This Giant Man, nicknamed "Redman", stands in front of Spafford's Construction & Remodeling. The statue was made by a local man and stood in front of a produce stand for years. He was moved here around 2001, using the rebar loops on his shoulders. The statue is about 10' tall. He is missing both of his hands and part of his left arm lies at his feet. |
| BP Man Lloyd, FL |
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| BP Man is an adapted Johnny Appleseed statue. This statue was created in the early 1990s. It was created by Mark Cline from a mold of the statue in New Market, VA. Originally, this statue was located at a restaurant in Kissimmee, FL. At some point, it was moved here to this truck stop / gas station. His apple was transformed into a doughnut and a cup of coffee was added. The upside down pot on his head was changed into a ball cap. Does anyone know when the statue was moved here? |
| Magic Gift ShopOrlando, FL | Magic Castle Gift KingdomKissimmee, FL | ||
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| The Magic Gift Shop and the Magic Castle Gift Kingdom feature giant wizard entrances. There is also a similar Mermaid Gift Shop in Kissimmee. Most likely, all three of these shops were built sometime after 1971 when Disney World opened in Orlando. For more, see this website. |
| Sports DominatorOrlando, FL | Skull KingdomOrlando, FL | ICONS ExhibitKey West, FL | |
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These giant basketball and soccer players stand in front of the Sports Dominator sporting goods store. The giant helmeted muscle man is above the entrance.
Skull Kingdom is a theme park featuring a Haunted Mansion and magic shows. They opened in 1997. The giant skull functions as the entrance. For more, see their website. In 2008, local artist J. Seward Johnson's ICONS Exhibit went on display outside the Key West Museum of Art and History. As of 2009, the exhibit was still there. These two statues are among the 11 life-sized sculptures of everyday people. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. |
| The KissSarasota, FL | Ron Jon Surf ShopCocoa Beach, FL | ||||
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The Kiss statue is officially entitled "Unconditional Surrender". It was based on the famous VJ Day photo of a sailor kissing a nurse. The photo was taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt in 1945 and appeared in Life Magazine. The 26' tall statue was created by J. Seward Johnson. A slightly larger than life statue was installed in Times Square in 2005 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. After that, this much larger statue was installed in Sarasota. In 2006, this statue went to San Diego, CA. In 2008, it returned to Sarasota where many hope it will be installed permanently. I believe the smaller version of the statue is put on display in Times Square each year. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
This Ron Jon Surf Shop opened in 1963 and is open 24 hours, 7 days a week. The first Ron Jon shop opened in Long Beach Island, NJ in 1961. This is their second and largest store. Shown above are three of the ten, life-sized sand and resin statues that were created in 1996. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. |
| Devil & Abominable SnowmanPanama City Beach, FL | Orange ManPalm Coast, FL | ||
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The Devil and Abominable Snowman were entrances to rides at the Miracle Strip Amusement Park which first opened in 1963. The Park closed in 2004 and since then has been slated for demolition for condos or a shopping center. However, as of 2009, these two giant figures and other structures still remained. The Devil's head was the entry to Dante's Inferno with a Chance Trabant ride (a type of Scrambler). The 20' tall Abominable Snowman led to a Eli Bridge Scrambler ride. Both rides ran in the dark with special lighting. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
The Orange Man was originally the Orange Bird back when the Artesia Gardens produce and gift shop behind him was open. The Orange Bird had wings and a beak back in the 1980s when he was built. His midsection is a cement-filled buoy. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Casablanca HotelMiami Beach, FL | |||
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The Casablanca Hotel, now the New Casablanca on the Ocean Hotel, was designed by Roy France and built in 1949. It features these Arabian Nights-style genie statues supporting a canopy. The hotel design was inspired by the movie "Casablanca". For more, see their website. |
| Sahara HotelMiami Beach, FL |
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| The Sahara Hotel, now the Sahara Beach Club Motel, was designed by Carlos Schoeppl and built in 1953. These camels and Arab statues are original. The Arabs' faces and hands were originally painted black (vintage postcard, top row). For more, see this website. |
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