| Land of the Giants |
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| ILLINOIS: MUFFLER MEN |
| Village Lumber Melrose Park, IL |
Lauterbach Tire Man Springfield, IL |
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In 2003, the Village Lumber Man moved to Wolff's Flea Market in Melrose Park. He is displayed inside a warehouse at the back. UPDATE: It sounds like the flea market is closed and this guy is now missing as of 2006.
The Lauterbach Tire Man stands in front of Lauterbach Tire and Auto Service. He exchanged his tire for an American flag in 2001. In 2006, he was struck by a tornado and temporarily lost his head. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Stan the Tire Man [gone] Salem, IL |
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| This Muffler Man stood in front of what was a Stan the Tire Man location. The building was vacant in 2005 and as of 2007, Stan was for sale. In 2007, this guy was moved to Rocky Mount, NC. There was once a Uniroyal Gal here but she was moved to the Stan the Tire Man in Mount Vernon, IL. For more, see this website. |
| Guardian Auto Rebuilders Evergreen Park, IL |
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| The Evergreen Man was knocked down in a tornado in 1998 but was repaired and given a fresh coat of auto paint. He once had some arrows stuck in his back shot by pranksters at the swimming pool located behind the building. |
| Mr. Bendo Ted's Auto Body Chicago, IL |
Haunted Trails Bridgeview, IL |
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The Chicago Mr. Bendo holds (bends?) an iron bar. Mr. Bendo was a chain with other locations in IL, SD, and probably elsewhere.
The Bridgeview Man has been transformed into a Frankenstein with a bloody axe. He stands in front of the Haunted Trails mini golf. In the mid-1970s, Haunted Trails went by a different name (Happy Trails?) and this Frankenstein was a clown. For more, see this website. |
| Bunyon's was Cicero, IL |
Tall Paul now Atlanta, IL |
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| The Bunyon's Man stood at the entry door to this hot dog/burger joint since 1965. In 2003, Bunyon's closed and the Hot Dog Man was moved to Atlanta, IL where he is known as "Tall Paul". He was restored and stands in a park as part of a Route 66 heritage exhibit. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| auto shop Ham Lake, MN |
Left Field Louie Joliet, IL |
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| The Ham Lake Man was sold for $10,000 and moved to Joliet, IL in 2003 where he was restored as Left Field Louie. Left Field Louie is the mascot for the Joliet Jackhammers minor league baseball team. He stands at the back of Silver Cross Field making noise and smoke when the Jackhammers hit a homerun. Unfortunately, when I was there the Field was closed and I could only get these back view photos. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Gemini Giant Wilmington, IL |
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| The Gemini Giant stands outside the Launching Pad drive-in restaurant on Route 66. Previously a Bunyan type, he was bought at auction in 1965 and retrofitted as an astronaut. He has had two rockets stolen over the years. His helmet is lit from the inside at night. This drive-in opened in 1960s as a Dari Delight. It became the Launching Pad in 1965. In 2006, the Gemini Giant was put up for sale. Luckily, new owners decided to keep him. For more, see this website. |
| Ozzi Waterpark and Go Cart Park [gone] Palatine, IL |
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| Neither the Indian nor the Bunyan Palatine Men had feet when these photos were taken around 2001. They were probably sawed off when they were moved from their previous locations. They may have come from Adventureland, an amusement park in Addison, IL which closed in 1977. Ozzi's closed in 2007 and these two statues are now gone. |
| Capitol Cigar Chicago, IL |
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| The Capitol Cigar Indian has an Eye Care Center sign bolted to his chest. He used to hold an iron bar and appeared in the movie "Wayne's World." Sometime between 2001 and 2006, eyeglasses were added to this statue and his sign was changed (two photos at right). For more, see this website. |
| Southeast High School Springfield, IL |
Lambs Farm Libertyville, IL |
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The Springfield Spartan stands above the entry to Southeast High School. Before Southeast, he was a Viking at Barker-Lubin Homebuilders. Probably originally a carpet store Viking, he was tweaked for the Southeast Spartans (altered helmet, added a sword). In the early 1990s, he was restored and given a bigger sword. For more, see 1 and 2.
The Libertyville Man is an example of a more diminutive, feminine Bunyan type. I'm not sure if this is the smaller version that International Fiberglass made or if it was made by an imitator. He is grouped at this tourist trap/petting zoo/mini golf place with a giant cow and giant milk bottle. |
| Big JohnEldorado, IL | ||
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| Big JohnMetropolis, IL | |
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| Big JohnCarmi, IL | ||
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Big Johns are 30' tall and originally wore checkered shirts, blue jeans, an apron and carried giant bags of groceries. They were eye-catchers for Big John Supermarkets (a chain based in IL) from the late 1960s until the early 1990s. When Big John Supermarkets were bought out, most of the giants were either sold or destroyed. Some have been "re-purposed" and moved elsewhere.
The Eldorado Big John and the Metropolis Big John stand in front of still-existing Big John Supermarkets. The Carmi Big John stands in front of the Little Giant Grocery Outlet. |
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More Big Johns:
Lake View, MS Gainesville, TX Unger, WV For more about Big Johns, see this page. |
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Elsewhere in this Section:
Miss Uniroyal (Mount Vernon) Miss Uniroyal (Peoria) |
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More IL Muffler Men:
Viking (Nauvoo) |
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IL Misc. Giants |
Giants Main Page |
| [Main Roadside Page] |
all photos contained at this website are copyrighted and may be used only with consent