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International Fiberglass Giant Men Statues (page 1)

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International Fiberglass didn't really have a name for these statues even though they were just as popular as the original Paul Bunyan models. In their marketing materials, these statues were simply referred to as "Giant Men". The statues were very similar to the Paul Bunyan statues. Most of them still had the same hand position: right palm up, left palm down. However, these statues did not have the knit caps. They had longer pants that went down to their shoes. As with the Paul Bunyan models, they could be accessorized with just about anything to become Hamburger Men, Golfers, etc. They could also be painted whatever colors the customer wanted.

Giant Man
Birmingham, AL (now Franklin, KY)
Giant Man
Chattanooga, TN
This Giant Man in Birmingham, aka "Stan," arrived in town in the late 1960s. By the 1970s, he had been moved to Lynn Strickland Tire. By 1998, he was located on a rooftop next to I-65 at a different tire store where he held a couple of tires. Strong winds knocked his upper torso to the ground and he had to be repaired. He stood next to the GCR Tire Center for many years and was painted to match GCR's uniforms. I guess his white-painted hands were meant to look like gloves. Note that both palms face up. It is not known if that was done by International Fiberglass or years later. These photos are from 2007. Around 2021, the business became Southern Tire and the statue was moved to private property in Selma, AL. In 2024, it was sold and moved to Franklin, KY where it may be restored and put on display again. For more, see this website.

This Giant Man in Chattanooga has been located at the Sir Goony's mini golf course since at least 1969. The statue originally held a golf club. It was laying on its back near the go-karts in 2005. By 2007, it was standing back up on the go-kart track holding a wrench and a tire. [map]

Giant Man
San Jose, CA
This Giant Man stands in front of Babe's & Lightning Muffler. "Babe", as the statue is known, has been here since the 1960s. Babe's closed in 2018 but reopened. There were two other Giant Men installed at two of the company's other locations in San Jose. One statue was burned down by a gang in the early 1990s. The other was removed due to sign restrictions. That statue's upper torso, head, and arms were then installed on the roof of a car and driven around town. It is believed to have been eventually destroyed. For more, see this website. [map]

Giant Man [gone]
Merced, CA
Giant Man [gone]
Compton, CA
This Giant Man in Merced stands in front of the Agricultural Museum. The statue once held a large mallet and was accompanied by a giant rat when it was installed at a pest control company. The statue was moved here in the early 1990s. In 2021, the museum contents and this statue were sold at auction. It's not yet known where this statue went. For more, see this website.

The Giant Man in Compton was located at King's Auto Repair. He had been at that location since at least 2004. He was still there in 2017 but gone in 2018.

Giant Man
Washington, GA
2009:
2021:
This Giant Man has been here since 1997. I don't know where he was located before that. The building that housed the Jones Brake & Muffler shop had been vacant since 2005 when the owner's wife won the Mega Millions lottery. The statue had been repainted by 2010. By 2015, God's Marketplace had moved into the building. Since at least 2018, the building has housed the Pig & Bull Grill. [map]

Giant Man [gone]
2001 in Ham Lake, MN
2009 in Joliet, IL
This Giant Man was located at an auto shop when the first photos were taken above. The statue was sold for $10,000 and moved to Joliet, IL in 2003 where he was restored as Left Field Louie. Left Field Louie was the mascot for the Joliet Jackhammers minor league baseball team. He stood at the back of Silver Cross Field and made noise and smoke when the Jackhammers hit a homerun. In 2011, the team was renamed the Joliet Slammers and this statue was removed. According to the last report, the statue was in storage in Minooka, IL. For more, see this website.

Giant Man
Yorktown, IN

2001:

2005:
The original location of this Giant Man is not known. By 1972, he was located in downtown Muncie at Jack Smith Motors, later Smith and Son RV Center, where he was known as Big Jack. He held a convertible car in his right hand and a "Big Jack" sign in his left. By 1997, Jack Smith and Son RV Center had moved to Yorktown, IN next to I-69 where the statue still held the sign. I don't know if the car was swapped for a mini RV then or when he was still on Broadway. In 2005, the RV center was gone and the business became MacAllister Machinery who kept the statue but removed the Big Jack sign and RV. By 2007, the statue was repainted. He now has a yellow shirt and black pants. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Giant Man
Wichita, KS
This Giant Man is located at Brown's Tires. The statue once had "Brown's" painted across his chest. It was restored around 2003. There are lights in his eyes which are turned on at night. For more, see this website. [map]

Giant Man
Clementon, NJ (now Magnolia, NJ)
2001:
2009:
This Giant Man was installed at a Gulf gas station by 1973. By the 1980s, the statue was moved to Clementon, NJ and installed on the roof at Trio Tire. In 2002, when Trio Tire was sold to Tire Corral, Royal Tire bought the statue for $10,000. The statue was repainted and moved to Magnolia. In 2017, the statue was painted with an orange shirt and red pants. By 2024, the statue was holding a newly fabricated muffler and his original hat which had been in storage for decades, had been installed. [map]

Giant Man
Vinita, OK
This Giant Man was built around 2022 from molds of a vintage statue by Bell Plastics for the Mobil oil company. The custom suitcase was also created at the same time. In 2022, the statue traveled Route 66 and was temporarily displayed at different businesses to promote Mobil 1 motor oil. During the travels, the statue held some customized objects such as a tray of milkshakes, a bone, and a corndog. In 2023, the statue was purchased by the Hi-Way Cafe and set up there. He was named "Big Bill" after one of the cafe owner's fathers and that name is now painted on his chest where it previously read "Mobil." There is also a Giant Indian at the cafe. [map]

Giant Man
Grove, OK (now Yukon, OK)
This Giant Man was installed in Savannah, GA at a muffler shop in the 1960s and 1970s. It was likely installed at a Phillips 66 statue originally. Around 1978, the statue was sold and moved to South Carolina where it remained in storage. In 2015, it was sold to Copeland Switch Antiques in Grove, OK. In 2024, just after these photos were taken, the statue was sold and moved to Yukon, OK where it will be restored and installed at Yukon66 Sports and Imports. There was also an International Fiberglass Cowboy at Copeland Switch which was also sold in 2024 and moved to Dallas, TX. For more, see this website. [map]

Giant Man [gone]
Warrenton, TX (now Portland, OR)
Giant Man
Everett, WA
This Giant Man in Warrenton stood in front of the Sterling McCall Old Car Museum when these photos were taken in 2006. He had been there since 1996. Before that, he was located at either a mini golf course or driving range in Houston, TX. While he was in Warrenton, he was known as Big George. In 2010, the statue was knocked down in a storm and put in storage. The owners said they would restore the statue at some point. However, that never happened. The statue was sold in 2016 and is now being restored for a private collection in Portland, OR.

This Giant Man in Everett is installed on the roof of SSA (Stevedoring Services of America) Marine. In the 1980s, there was a muffler shop in the building below. The muffler shop had brought the statue along when they moved to this location. The statue held a giant wrench at that point. [map]

Giant Man
Tijuana, Mexico
This Giant Man is installed in front of a construction and hardware store. [map]

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