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New Jersey Dinosaurs

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Dinosaur
Bayville, NJ

2001:

2009:
This 12-foot-tall Dinosaur was built for the 1925 film, "The Lost World." It is not known if the statue appeared in the film or if it was just used for promoting it. The statue was then installed at the Tearoom in Adelphia, NJ. Around 1935, the statue was sold to Will Farrow who installed it in front of his taxidermy shop at this location in Bayville. The dinosaur was painted to advertise for Farrow's business. One story is that the statue was previously displayed at a Sinclair gas station in town. However, Sinclair did not use dinosaurs at its gas stations in the 1930s. According to another source, Farrow found this dinosaur in a barn where it was stored after being used on a float for Sinclair Oil at the 1939 World's Fair. This makes for a good story but it can't be true. The 1939 dinosaurs were realistic for their time and built with plaster and rubber on a steel frame. This statue could not have come from the 1964 NY World's Fair either. Those statues were also realistic and made of fiberglass. Sinclair did not begin producing their cuter, fiberglass gas station dinosaurs until 1976. This dinosaur doesn't look like any Sinclair statues that I have seen.

Some Bayville residents remember this dinosaur being located originally at an ice cream stand where the statue was painted dark green with red lights in its nose and green lights down its back. No photos of this ice cream stand can be found. This photo from 1969 shows the scales that Farrow added to the statue's back for a while.

This statue's head has been knocked off and replaced several times. In 1998, Dino's head disappeared and had to be replaced again. Changing businesses behind the statue have painted it different colors over the years. In 2001, the statue was painted a traditional green. Around 2005, the statue was painted gold. In 2007, it was repainted blue and covered with handprints during the Grand Opening celebration for House of Paints. The statue was nicknamed Virginia around this time. House of Paints closed around 2012 and local residents hoped to relocate the statue. In 2015, the head was knocked off again. In 2016, the dinosaur was repaired with a stumpy head. The store behind the statue was still vacant. In 2018, restoration of the statue began. A new head and tail were built. The dinosaur's neck is curved to the side a bit to protect it from traffic. His eyes are lit at night. He has been named "Bud the Bayville Dinosaur." For more, see this website. [map]

Frank's Castle Grill [gone]
Hamburg, NJ
Frank's Castle Grill was a restaurant across the street from the Gingerbread Castle. The dinosaurs were installed along with a petting zoo for the kids. The place has been closed for many years. These photos are from 2007. I don't think that these statues are still there. For more, see this page.

Dinosaur [gone]
Cherry Hill, NJ
This dinosaur was originally part of an Old Pro Golf miniature golf course which closed around 2004. The concrete statue is about ten feet tall and was nicknamed Danny. These photos are from 2006. In 2010, this statue was moved to New Castle, DE. I'm told it will be installed on a trailer and displayed for special events. However, as of 2019, I haven't heard anything about that happening.

Hadrosaurus
Haddonfield, NJ
This Dinosaur statue, officially Hadrosaurus foulkii, is located at the town's center. It was named after William Parker Foulke, who discovered the first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton in the U.S. here in 1858. This statue was created by John Giannotti and erected in 2003. Sorry about the lighting of these photos taken in the wee hours of the morning. I hope to get better shots sometime soon. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. [map]

dinosaur sculpture
Wall, NJ
This dinosaur sculpture stands next to the Roadside Diner. This statue, made from car parts, was created by Jim Gary. He was famous for his brightly painted dinosaur creations. For more, see this website. [map]

Dinosaurs & Caveman
Alpha, NJ
These Dinosaurs and Caveman statues are located on the property behind G.J. Oliver, Inc. The sculptures were created in 1995 by Woody Houser, an employee at the steel fabrication company. [map]

More New Jersey:
Field Station Dinosaurs (Leonia) [map]
FunTown Amusement Pier (Seaside Park)
Club 18: 1, 2 (Stone Harbor) [map]

Dinosaurs
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