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International Fiberglass Paul Bunyan Statues (page 1)

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The International Fiberglass Paul Bunyan statues are 20 feet tall. The mold for this statue was produced by Prewitt Fiberglass Animals around 1961. That original statue is believed to still exist in Flagstaff, AZ (see below). It's not known how many of these statues were produced by Prewitt. Around 1962, Steve Dashew bought Prewitt's company and founded International Fiberglass. The popularity of the Paul Bunyan statues led Dashew to have numerous variations created. For more, see this website.

These Paul Bunyan statues were most commonly accessorized with axes. They could easily be turned into Golfers by adding golf clubs or Cowboys with Cowboy hats. This accessory list shows just some of the options available to customers.

The standard Paul Bunyan statue features a knit cap with a tassel which is tucked behind the statue's right ear. The statue wears a short-sleeved, open-necked dress shirt with buttons. His pants have four suspenders buttons at the top and are tucked into high, laced boots. The statues were most often painted with a yellow cap, red shirt, blue pants, and black boots. However, they could be painted in whatever colors the customer wanted. The statue's hand position is usually right palm up, left palm down. However, the customer could order the hands in any position.

This lengthy section is organized alphabetically by the state these statues are located in.

Paul Bunyan
Flagstaff, AZ
Little Louie
Flagstaff, AZ
2004:
 2012:
 2017:
2019 and 2024:
These two Paul Bunyan statues were originally installed at the Lumberjack Cafe. When the restaurant became Granny's Closet in 1973, these statues were moved to Northern Arizona University and repainted in the school's colors. The statue that stands just outside NAU's Skydome is known as "Louie". It is believed that this statue was built in 1963 or 1964 and was the first Paul Bunyan ever produced. It was originally built by Prewitt Fiberglass Animals for someone in Sacramento, CA that never paid for it.

The Lumberjack Cafe bought the second Paul Bunyan statue by 1966. That one is now installed inside the Skydome. This statue has a Paul Bunyan style head but pants down to his ankles. The NAU football team is known as The Lumberjacks. In 2018, this statue was temporarily removed during a construction work at the Skydome. While it was laying down in storage, someone stole the statue's head. It is being recreated. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [fourth photo thanks Glenda Campbell] [map]

The ten-foot-tall carved wooden Little Louie statue was built in the 1960s. It was installed with the Paul Bunyan statues in front of the Lumberjack Cafe. There were several other carved wooden statues as well including a cowboy and a Mexican. Those statues appear to be from the same hand as this one. In 2009, the statue was completely restored and moved to a display platform. By 2012, the statue was dressed to pay tribute to the military. In 2016, Granny's Closet closed. In 2017, it was announced that the statue would be moved to the Museum Club in town. However, the statue still remains in the parking lot of the former Granny's Closet. For more, see this website. [map]

Paul Bunyan
Phoenix, AZ (now Minnesota)

2006:

2012:
 2017:
This Paul Bunyan statue was originally installed at a Mohawk gas station in San Francisco. Don Parks bought the statue in 1969 and moved it to Phoenix. At that point, the statue's feet were cut off. Parks added new feet and a base. Many of these fiberglass statues were cemented in place for stability which required sawing off their feet when they were moved. That was most likely the case with this statue. The statue's right eye was also damaged at some point.

At some point, Parks sold the statue to a shoe store. When the store closed, the statue was sold to Lumberjack Building Materials. The photos from 2006 above were taken there. When the lumber store closed, Parks bought back the statue. In 2007, it was moved to his front yard where it is part of his collection of fiberglass statues and other objects. In 2024, it was sold and moved to Minneapolis or St. Paul, MN. For more, see this website.

Paul Bunyan
Tucson, AZ

2012:
2017:
This Paul Bunyan statue was installed at Leo's Auto Supply and Hot Rod Shop in 1964. The owner bought the statue along with a cow, rooster, and horse at a trade show in San Francisco. It seems likely that the Paul Bunyan and and the other statues were produced and sold to Leo's by Bob Prewitt before Prewitt sold the molds to International Fiberglass. In 2011, the statue was repainted. In 2013, a small brick wall was built around the statue to protect it. The business behind the statue has been Don's Hot Rod Shop since at least 2008. There is also an International Fiberglass Cowboy statue in Tucson. [map]

Paul Bunyan
Los Angeles, CA
This Paul Bunyan statue stands behind the fence at Corte's Auto Glass. His nickname "Sergio" is written on his chest. This statue has been here since at least 1997. [map]

Paul Bunyan
Mentone, CA
 Paul Bunyan
Van Nuys, CA
This Paul Bunyan statue in Mentone is located in the front yard of a residence. The owner purchased the statue in 1983. The statue's right arm was missing and was reconstructed from a mold of his left arm. There are other statues and artwork on display as well. For more, see this website. [map]

The Paul Bunyan statue in Van Nuys is mounted high on a pole in front of Tune Up Masters. In 2001, his beard was painted over by new owners. This statue has been here since at least the 1970s when there was a tire store here. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

Paul Bunyan
Ventura, CA
This Paul Bunyan statue is believed to have originally been located at a Giant Auto Parts in Port Hueneme, CA in the 1960s. It is believed that the statue held a muffler then. When the store closed, it was stashed in a sign shop yard for a few years. From the 1970s-1980s, the statue was located at Foster Park in Ventura, CA. The statue held an axe at that time. From the 1980s-1990s, the statue was installed at the Rancho Arnaz produce stand in Ventura. It then was moved to private property. In 2017, the statue was sold and restored. A replacement axe has been created. While the statue is located on private property, it can be seen from the road. [map]

Paul Bunyan
Forestville, CA

2016:
2023:
This Paul Bunyan statue is located at the River Bend Campground. This statue may have originally been located in Healdsburg. It is believed the statue was moved here in 1984. He held a canoe paddle for many years. Since 2015, he has been holding an axe as he did originally. These photos are from 2016. The one-piece arms indicate that this is a very early statue. It may possibly have been produced by Bob Prewitt before he sold the mold to International Fiberglass. Arms on the later statues are bolted into the sleeves. In 2020, this statue was restored. John Cerney created a new axe for the statue to hold and a Babe the Blue Ox to stand next to him. For more, see this website. [map]

Paul Bunyan
Shingletown, CA
This Paul Bunyan statue stands near the lake and cabins at the Lassen Pines Christian Camp. This statue was originally located at the Paul Bunyan Rite-Spot restaurant in Redding, CA. It has been at its current location since 1971. The place was known as the Lassen Pines Retreat Center at that time.

Paul Bunyan
Dallas, GA
This Paul Bunyan statue is a modern, reproduction statue created by Bell Plastics (see below). The pipe wrench was created from scratch. It was installed in the Dixie Crossing shopping center in 2016. He is known as "Big Mike" and "Mike the Plumber, after the statue's owner, Michael Whitman. There is also a Miss Uniroyal statue at the same place. Whitman has many other statues at his business in town, Atlantis Plumbing. [map]

Paul Bunyan
Hayward, CA
Tyre Treds in 2008:
 Bell Plastics in 2014:
 and 2017:

Paul Bunyan
Hayward, CA
2014:
 2017:
There are two Paul Bunyan statues at Bell Plastics. The first one shown above with the white shirt was originally installed in the 1960s at Morris Car Wash in Hayward, CA. The statue was known as Big Mike and held a giant scrub brush in his hands. When the car wash closed and Tyre Treds moved into the building, the new owners replaced the scrub brush with a muffler. Tyre Treds closed in 2010 and the muffler disappeared. The statue was put up for auction and Bruce Kennedy from Bell Plastics was the only bidder. In 2011, the statue was moved to a temporary location. It was then restored and installed in 2013 at Bell Plastics. This statue and the Mortimer Snerd statue are dressed up for Halloween and other holidays with different heads which were produced at Bell Plastics (Demon, Frankenstein, Uncle Sam, and Jester shown above). For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

In 2013, Kennedy purchased the second Paul Bunyan statue shown above with the red shirt. He bought it from someone in Paramount, CA. He bought an International Fiberglass Santa statue from the same person. This Paul Bunyan statue was built in 1962. It was originally installed with the Santa at Dooley's Hardware in Long Beach, CA. This Bunyan came with an axe, a hammer, and a saw (see bottom row of photos above). Since it arrived in poor condition, Kennedy named the statue Mister Fix-It. He restored the top half of the statue in 2017. For more, see this website.

There are also other International Fiberglass statues on display here including a Cowboy, and a Miss Uniroyal. There is also a Fireman statue produced by Mark Cline which was based on the International Fiberglass 14-Foot-Tall Man statue. [map]

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