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Other International Fiberglass Statues (page 5)

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These Tire Salesman statues are very rare examples of International Fiberglass' 10-foot-tall giants. There were nine well-dressed men in the series. It is believed that the set was designed for an unknown company in the late 1960s. After that, a few of the individual statues were sold to other businesses, including Mobil and DX gas stations. They were marketed as "Salesmen." Some of the figures had moving heads and waving arms were optional. The Tire Salesman model had these features. These statues were also equipped with some sort of audio box. It appears that the same design was used for a Chef statue. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [vintage photos thanks Terry Nelson]

Tire Salesman
Lake George, NY
2005:
 Atlanta, IL
2024:
This Tire Salesman was originally installed somewhere in the Northeast before it was moved to the Danbury Fair in Danbury, CT. It was later sold and moved to Magic Forest in Lake George which had an assortment of other statues, including several produced by International Fiberglass. In 2018, the owner auctioned off most of the statues at the park. This one is now installed inside the American Giants Museum. Before being put on display, the "JGE" initials were painted on the statue's belt as a tribute to Jack and Arthur Gillette, the former owners of Magic Forest.

Tire Salesman [gone]
Los Angeles, CA
The Tire Salesman in Los Angeles was installed on the roof of VIP Tire & Automotive around 1971. It might have been the statue's original location. The statue was supposedly removed in 2019 for restoration. However, it was still missing in 2021.

There was another statue from this series, wearing a tie instead of a bow tie, at Fun Spot USA in Kissimmee, FL. I believe it is gone now. Another one of these statues was apparently sold at auction to a private collector. For more, see this website.

Mannequin
Airdrie, AB (Canada)
This 24-foot-tall Mannequin was originally installed at the Bar-B-Q Ranch Western wear store in Post Falls, ID. This vintage photo [International Fiberglass advertising, thanks Terry Nelson] shows what was may have been the same statue wearing chef's clothing. I don't believe that the Bar-B-Q Ranch was ever a restaurant. It opened as a gift shop originally. The vintage photo shows a cafe in the background and the location is not identified. However, it appears that the same fiberglass animals were installed on the roof. According to one source, this same statue may have stood at a gas station, wearing a baseball cap before it was moved to the Bar-B-Q Ranch. I suspect that was another statue.

This statue was developed around 1963 by Prewitt Fiberglass Animals with a "nude" body and could be ordered with or without clothing. The mold was made from a sculpture by Bill Swan and his wife made the clothes. The statues had jointed arms, allowing the owner to pose them or hold objects if desired. Prewitt made and presumably sold at least three of these statues. The molds were later sold to International Fiberglass. It's not known if International Fiberglass sold any of these statues.

When the Bar-B-Q Ranch closed, the statue was disassembled and put in storage. In 1992, the statue was sold and moved to Bass' Western World in Coeur d'Alene, ID. The statue was nicknamed "Cowboy Wayne" and wore blue jeans. In 1995, the statue's pants were cut and turned into shorts by Lake City High School vandals. The pants were then replaced with chaps. In 2000, the statue was sold to Western RV Country in Airdrie where it stands today. These photos are from 2013. By 2016, the statue had been repainted and was wearing a red shirt and black vest. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [photos thanks Corey Scheffler] [map]

Paul Bunyan
Albuquerque, NM
2012: 2017:

2019:
A standard International Fiberglass Paul Bunyan statue was installed at this location in the early 1970s for Shofner Lumber Co. When the statue was destroyed in a fire, it was replaced with an International Fiberglass Mannequin chef or cowboy statue that was adapted to look like a lumberjack. The business later became a hardware store. The building has housed the May Cafe for many years now. During a storm in 2014, the statue's lower arms and axe were ripped off. In 2019, the statue was restored. [map]

Tony's Pushcart
Augusta, ME		 Tony's Pushcart
Boulder, CO
The concept for the Tony's Pushcart food service building was developed by the owners of the Manno Dining Car Company in New Jersey. It was patented in 1968 as a very small fast-food stand. The sign on the illustration is labeled as "Tony's Cart." However, by the time they were built, they name had apparently morphed into Tony's Pushcart. This postcard shows what the food stands looked like. The statues originally had brown hats and pants, a white apron, and a red and white checkered shirt. The 16-foot-tall statues were produced by International Fiberglass. The first location was installed in 1966 in Jersey City, NJ. I believe the photo in the postcard was taken there. I believe another location was installed around 1968 in Asbury Park, NJ. There was another location at Benson's Wild Animal Farm in Hudson, NH. There were two of these statues in storage behind a diner in Fairfield, NJ in 1974. One of these stands was installed at the Danbury Fair in Danbury, CT. The Fair closed in 1981 and it's not known where the statue and food booth went after that.

This Tony's Pushcart statue in Augusta was located at Big Boyz Cycle when these photos were taken in 2009. I've heard that the business has closed but the statue was still there in 2023. It is not known where this statue was located originally. It was moved here in 1996 when it was purchased from an antiques dealer in New Hampshire. This statue may be the one from Benson's Wild Animal Farm. I was told that the hat on this statue was previously blue and white with vertical stripes. The sides of the brim were cut off at some point. The statue also has a sailor tattoo which was a later addition. This is the only known survivor of these statues. [map]

The Tony's Pushcart hat in Boulder hangs from the ceiling of the World Famous Dark Horse bar. I have no idea what happened to the rest of the statue or where this hat came from.

Steak Corral
Whittier, CA
This statue at the Steak Corral has been here since at least the early 1970s. There was originally a steak at the end of the cowboy's lariat. The statue was designed around 1969 and produced by International Fiberglass. These photos from the company's archives courtesy of Terry Nelson: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

There was another location in West Covina, CA which closed around 2007. This Whittier "Westaurant" was the third one built. I don't know where the other location was or if the other two had statues like this one. For more, see this website.

These 15-foot-tall Pioneer statues were originally produced for Wagon Ho! restaurants. The fast-food chain was established in Birmingham in 1968. The company apparently moved its headquarters to St. Petersburg, FL later that year. There were plans to build 51 restaurants by mid-1969 and another 200 units by the end of 1970. However, the company quickly ran into financial trouble and I believe there were only about five locations built in Florida, the one in Birmingham, AL, and a few others in the Vancouver, BC area. By 1970, the company had folded. In 1976, there was still a location operating as Jim Boast Dodge in Bradenton, FL. However, none of these covered wagon buildings still exist in any recognizable form.

All of these locations featured covered wagon style buildings with these statues seated in front. Wagon Ho! called the character the Wagon Master. The statues may have been modeled after the Western movie star George "Gabby" Hayes. Contrary to many on-line accounts, these statues did not hold anything in their hands originally or while they were used by Wagon-Ho! There are only seven statues known to still exist (see below). These International Fiberglass photos are courtesy of Terry Nelson: 1, 2, and 3.

Pioneer
Moody, AL (now Hayward, CA)

2007:
2020:
This Pioneer statue came from the Wagon Ho! location in Birmingham. When that location closed, the statue was moved to a Mexican restaurant. It stood in front of Cherry Construction for many years. These photos are from 2007. In 2017, the statue was sold to Bruce Kennedy. It is now displayed at his business, Bell Plastics, with many other International Fiberglass statues. [map]

Pioneer
Surrey, BC		 Pioneer [gone]
Pinellas Park, FL		 Pioneer
Zephyrhills, FL
This Pioneer statue in Surrey was originally located at a Wagon Ho! in Surrey which opened in 1969. It wasn't open long. There were a few other locations in the Vancouver area. This statue is now located on private property. [map]

This Pioneer statue in Pinellas Park was originally installed at the Wagon Ho! in South Pasadena, FL. In 1975, the statue was sold to Gulf Golf in Treasure Island, FL. At that point, the statue was transformed into a pirate known as "Sneaky Pete." The mini golf closed in 2005 and the statue was sold for $3,000. It was moved to the First Security used car lot in Pinellas Park, FL. It was still there in 2011 when the property was put up for sale. It was gone by 2017. [photo thanks Robby Delius]

This Pioneer statue in Zephyrhills is installed at Baker Acres RV Resort. He was found on the property by the new owners in 2016. The statue was restored and installed in 2019. A chair was created for him at that time. It's possible that this statue is the same one that was in Pinellas Park. [map]

Pioneer
Gravois Mills, MO
This Pioneer is installed at the entrance to the Bass Point Resort. It has been there since at least 2014. [map]

There are three other known seated Pioneer statues in Rainsville, AL, Quesnel, BC, and at a wedding venue in Lakeland, FL.

The Pioneer statues shown below appear to be a standing version of the ones that were produced for Wagon Ho! restaurants. I have read that the Pioneer statues were created by Unique Fiberglass Figures which was located in Rocky Mount, NC. However, I have seen photos and convincing promotional material that International Fiberglass was the originator of these statues. Perhaps Unique Fiberglass Figures copied the statues or acquired a mold and created the standing version. Unique Fiberglass Figures, later known as Fiberglass Figures, called their Pioneer statue "The Big Man". According to one source, the last seated version was made in 1980 and that mold was then broken. It's also unknown if the standing version of these statues held anything in its hands. I have also read that Unique Fiberglass Figures used the standing Pioneer mold to create a pirate statue for an Outer Banks restaurant. I don't know if this is the same statue that was located at Forbes Carpet Golf in Nags Head, NC (1, 2) which is now in a private collection in Kill Devil Hills, NC.

Pioneer
Linwood, NC
Pioneer [for sale]
Hillsborough, NC
Pioneer
Edneyville, NC
 Pioneer [gone]
Roanoke Rapids, NC
Pioneer
Pigeon Forge, TN (now Wytheville, VA)
I believe there are only four standing versions of the Pioneer models still on public display. There are at least two others in private collections. There was one at Funway Amusement Park in Fort Walton, FL but I don't know what happened to that statue or if it is one of these. In addition to the three shown above, there is one at Pirate Land Camping Resort at the mini golf in Myrtle Beach, SC.

The Pioneer in Linwood is installed at Bill's Truck Stop. The statue is called "Billy Bob." It has been strapped to poles to keep him upright ever since Hurricane Hugo in 1989. [map]

The Pioneer in Hillsborough was originally installed in Virginia. In the 1970s, it was moved to Daniel Boone Country (later Daniel Boone Village) which was a complex of antique shops and tourist attractions. The statue was known as Daniel Boone. In 2022, the statue was moved to a private collection in Four Oaks, NC. In 2024, the statue was put up for sale again.

This Pioneer statue in Edneyville is located just a mile or so east of Bub Hyder's Ranch.

This Pioneer statue in Roanoke Rapids stood on the roof of Elmo Garner Jewelers in town until around 1989. He was then moved to the Roanoke Valley Sudan Shriners' Club. An oil drum was added to his hat to simulate a fez. The statue was repainted around 2008. It was gone by 2019. For more, see this website.

The Pioneer statue in Pigeon Forge had been accessorized with a knife and the remains of a sword. The statue was located at the long-closed Bunnyland miniature golf course. The statue was removed around 2016. This statue is now located at Deer Trail Park & Campground in Wytheville, VA. He now holds a flag instead of the sword but he still has the knife attached to his belt. For more, see this website. [photos thanks Joel Baker]

More International Fiberglass Statues:
Ali Baba: 1, 2 (Los Angeles, CA) [gone]
Uncle Sam statues (Ottawa Lake, MI & Lake George, NY)
Jesse James (for Jesse James Territory in Sullivan, MO): 1, 2, 3 (private collection; Cuba, MO) [photos thanks Terry Nelson]
A&W Burger Family (various locations)
Bugle Boy (location unknown) [photo thanks Terry Nelson]

John Cerney mural tribute (Calumet, OK)

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