ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 Fee-fi-fo-fum. I smell the tale of something big, weird and wonderful.<\/p>\n
Driving through Dade City in 2023, I spotted a Muffler Man \u2013 although I didn\u2019t know at the time that is what they are called. I pulled a U-turn and stopped to take a photograph of this wrench-wielding giant.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s about the same path that Joel Baker once took as a boy. He grew up in Inverness, Florida, and the Dade City giant was his first Muffler Man sighting.<\/p>\n
A “Muffler Man” statue outside of Big Mechanic in Dade City, Florida. (Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen over 200 giants now and Dade City was also my first,\u201d Baker remembered. \u201cI was hooked from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
The curiosity never went away. Baker stumbled upon the Roadside America <\/a>website, which bills itself as a \u201cGuide to Uniquely Odd Tourist Attractions.\u201d<\/p>\n [EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it\u2019s FREE)<\/a> | PINIT! Share your photos<\/a>]<\/p>\n He noticed a banner on the website that mentioned the \u201cMuffler Men\u201d and that led him to a map<\/a> on the site of every fiberglass giant in the U.S.<\/p>\n Baker\u2019s passion project started in 2011, but the fiberglass statue craze in America started sometime in 1960s.<\/p>\n It\u2019s believed that Bobbie Lee \u201cBob\u201d Prewitt made the first \u201cMuffler Man.\u201d Legend has it that he built a fiberglass horse for a horse trailer that he also constructed. The purpose was to bring attention to the trailer itself, but the horse became so popular, he pivoted into making fiberglass animals \u2013 mostly cows and steers for dairies and steakhouses.<\/p>\n Prewitt then got a request to make a giant lumberjack in 1962 for the Paul Bunyan Cafe in Flagstaff, Arizona, but because he only made animals, he enlisted the help of artist Bill Swan to help design it.<\/p>\n \u201cThis Paul Bunyan, 21-feet tall, built to hold a giant ax, was the first Muffler Man, and he still stands in Flagstaff today<\/a>,\u201d according to Roadside America.<\/p>\n Prewitt eventually sold his business to International Fiberglass in 1963 and the rest is history \u2013 giant, glorious history.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had a really good PR manager and got articles and trade magazines about how effective these were as advertising giants and getting cars to stop,\u201d Baker said. \u201cAnd from 1964 to 1969, they were just pumping out all kinds of stuff, including all the giants.\u201d<\/p>\n Baker is the founder of American Giants<\/a> website and YouTube page and is on a mission to track down \u201cMuffler Men\u201d and share their stories.<\/p>\n And why are these big guys called \u201cMuffler Men?\u201d Baker said a chain of muffler shops in Texas ordered the giants in the 1960s and their arms all held large mufflers.<\/p>\n From there, some owners modified them to hold other things.<\/p>\n The nearest Muffler Man statue to Central Florida is at Big Mechanic in Dade City<\/a>, but there are a few others in the Sunshine State: One in Bradenton and another in Cape Coral. To see where you can find your own giant across the county, click here <\/a>on Roadside America\u2019s handy map.<\/p>\n The Muffler Man tag is sort of an overall all-encompassing term to describe the giants. There are other variations, including a Viking and a \u201cUniroyal Gal.\u201d<\/p>\n Joel with two of his “American Giants” (American Giants)<\/p>\n Baker said he pulled a Native American chief out of a swamp behind a campground in Arcadia a \u201cnumber of years ago.\u201d It has his since been restored, but is no longer in Florida. Another Native American statue once stood in New Smyrna Beach in the 60s and a large Paul Bunyan looked over DeLand at one point.<\/p>\n He also found a \u201dUniroyal Gal\u201d in a backyard in Winter Garden a number of years ago. Baker said she stood tall along State Road 50 at some point in the 60s until about 2002, where she made her way to that backyard. She was restored and painted as \u201cMiss America\u201d and now stands in Dallas, Georgia.<\/a><\/p>\n The Uniroyal Gal discovered in a backyard in Winter Garden. She was restored as “Miss America” and now resides in Georgia. (American Giants)The Uniroyal Gal discovered in a backyard in Winter Garden. She was restored as “Miss America” and now resides in Georgia. (American Giants)<\/p>\n American Giants even has a YouTube page <\/a>where you can find the latest information on their hunt and restoration adventures.<\/p>\n While Baker believes he knows where all of the standing giants are across the country, he said some may still be stashed away, waiting to be discovered.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems like at least one new a year pops up in somebody\u2019s barn or totally off maps,\u201d Baker said. \u201cIt could be a dozen still, maybe more!\u201d<\/p>\n One of the still-standing “American Giants” (American Giants)<\/p>\n During our interview, Baker also mentioned that he believes there is an original International Fiberglass \u201cHappy Halfwit\u201d head inside of Dezerland Park Orlando.<\/p>\n So, of course I took a trip out there. Now, I did find our severed head, and it sure does resembles Alfred E. Neuman, but there is probably some unworked copyright\/trademark issues that have since long passed. As a matter of fact, the \u201cMiss America\u201d mentioned above looks a lot like Wonder Woman.<\/p>\n I sent the photos to Baker who said, \u201cYes I am fairly certain he is an original. I have no idea where they found that head, but I know about the remakes, and they are all accounted for.\u201d<\/p>\n If you want to visit Mr. Halfwit, he is inside Dezerland at the go-cart track plopped down on one of the many vehicles sprinkled throughout the attraction.<\/p>\n Dezerland Park Orlando (Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n A group of self-taught fiberglass workers restores the giants that they are able to borrow or purchase, and Baker has become the de facto face, social media presence and historian behind American Giants.<\/p>\n Baker said his team has restored about about 12 giants to date.<\/p>\n \u201cI call it my side hobby,\u201d Baker said. \u201cIt\u2019s my weekend-fun thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n If you get bored \u2013 and how could you \u2013 of only seeing one giant per location, Baker just opened a museum along historic Route 66 in 2023. American Giants Museum<\/a> is located at 100 SW Arch St. in Atlanta, Illinois. The museum is currently closed for the winter, but they are holding their grand opening event on Memorial Day weekend.<\/p>\n The American Giants Museum in Atlanta ,Illinois. (American Giants)<\/p>\n \u201cI just had a fascination with the giants,\u201d Baker said. \u201cI think everybody in some way likes to have something that they are into. Whether it\u2019s sports or whether it\u2019s old cars. We all like something.\u201d<\/p>\n