email: roadarch@outlook.com

Pep Boys Statues, Signs, and Buildings

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The Pep Boys auto parts supply chain was founded in 1921 in Philadelphia. The Manny, Moe & Jack advertising figures were developed around 1924. The characters were modeled after the original founders. The company had 40 Philadelphia locations by the early 1930s and expanded to California in 1933. In 1990, the Pep Boys logo was changed and the caricatures were nearly dropped entirely. Fortunately, the company decided to keep the characters. At that point, the existing statues were altered to remove Manny's cigar. Pep Boys currently has about over 600 locations in 36 states and Puerto Rico. For more, see this website.

Pep Boys
Whitehall, PA		 Pep Boys
West Chester, PA
This Pep Boys statue in Whitehall is probably from the 1930s. It is not known how many of these statues were built. There are nine of them still on public display. There were probably many others that have been destroyed and maybe a few in private collections.

The backlit plastic sign in Whitehall was probably from the late 1950s or early 1960s. This photo of it is from 2004. Although the statue is still there, the plastic sign was gone by 2010. The only other sign similar to this that I know to exist is the one below in Towson, MD. [map]

The Pep Boys statue in West Chester was probably installed on a rooftop base originally like the others on this page. The cigar hole in Manny's mouth has clearly been patched. [map]

Pep Boys [gone]
Philadelphia, PA
 Pep Boys
Philadelphia, PA
 Pep Boys
Stratford, NJ
The photos of Pep Boys statue in Philadelphia shown on the left are from 2012. By 2014, that location had closed and the statue was gone. There was previously an incredible sign at this location as well.

The other Pep Boys statue in Philadelphia shown above is installed in front of the company's headquarters. [map]

This Pep Boys statue in Stratford is the only one that I know of in New Jersey. This statue may have been installed on a base originally. [map]

Pep Boys [gone]
Wilmington, DE		 Pep Boys
Towson, MD
These Pep Boys statues in Wilmington and Towson were both installed on bases. In 2022, the Wilmington building began housing Advance Auto Parts. The statues were removed.

The sign in Towson is the only one left that I know of. [map]

Pep Boys
Randallstown, MD
This Pep Boys location features a statue and had unique disc signs. The statue is still there but the signs were removed sometime between 2012 and 2015. I assume other signs like this were produced but I believe these were the only ones left. [map]

Pep Boys
Los Angeles, CA
 Pep Boys [gone]
Redwood Valley, CA
This Pep Boys statue in Los Angeles was located inside the Petersen Automotive Museum when this photo was taken in 2012. The statue was a donation from Pep Boys headquarters in Philadelphia. The 10-foot-tall statue was built in the mid-1930s. Manny's cigar was recreated when the statue was restored for the TV show "American Restoration" before going to the museum. In 2014, it was announced that the museum was renovating and eliminating this Americana area of the building. The museum announced that it was put the statue in storage and possibly display it in the future. I don't know if they still have it.

This Pep Boys statue in Redwood Valley must have come from a Pep Boys store. It is now located on the roof of a tractor trailer at the Redwood Valley Antique Mall. Unlike the other statues, two of these guys are dressed for work rather than in yellow sweaters. The characters hold a tire, a battery, and an air filter. The clothing and objects being held match the smaller statues shown below. However, the legs and body positions are the same as the yellow sweater statues. There is another statue like this in Kramer Junction, CA. I believe these statues were produced after the yellow sweater model. There is no sign of a patched cigar hole on either of these statues but I suspect they were produced in the 1960s rather than after the 1990 Great American Smokeout. These photos are from 2008. The statue was still there in 2012. But by 2016, the trailer and statue were gone. The statue is now in a private collection in New York.

Pep Boys
McAllen, TX
I've been told that this Pep Boys statue was installed at this Pep Boys location when it opened in 1978. I don't know if it was bought at an auction or supplied by Pep Boys corporate. The design appeared identical to the statues in Redwood Valley, CA and Kramer Junction, CA described immediately above. In 2023, the statue came unscrewed and fell over during a storm. It is now located inside the store.

Pep Boys
Van Nuys, CA
 Pep Boys
Fresno, CA
 Pep Boys
Pasadena, CA
 Pep Boys
Hollywood, FL
These smaller Pep Boys statues were produced in the 1960s. The one in Van Nuys is located inside the Valley Relics Museum. I don't know if the cigar is original. I suspect that it is a recreation since Manny's overalls have been repainted without the lighter blue detailing.

The Pep Boys statue in Fresno is located inside the store on Broadway St.

The Pep Boys statue in Pasadena is located inside the store on Colorado Blvd. The nick on the right side of Manny's mouth is a match for the one on the statue in Van Nuys, indicating that there was also a cigar there originally. The Fresno statue also has this.

The Pep Boys statue inside the Hollywood store does not have the nick in his lips, indicating that it might be a newer version.

There is another statue like these at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, OH which was donated by Pep Boys headquarters.

Pep Boys
Carson, CA
 Pep Boys
Hayward, CA
 Pep Boys
East Los Angeles, CA
The Pep Boys statues in Carson are located at Back in the Day Classics. Both statues were for sale when these photos were taken in 2015.

The statue on the left is a match for the statue in Redwood Valley, CA above. The statue was previously located in the owner's back yard in Lakewood, CA. The paint had been completely faded. Back in the Day Classics had the statue restored. Manny's overalls now have pinstripes and the clothes on Moe and Jack also have striped details now.

The smaller statue on the right also appears to have been restored. Manny's overalls are also striped now and the "Pep Boys" on his shirt pocket has been changed to read "Manny." The lips on the characters are no longer painted the reddish color.

These Pep Boys in Hayward are part of a private collection at Bell Plastics. I don't know if Manny's cigar is original.

The Pep Boys building in East Los Angeles was probably built in the 1940s or 1950s. There is a terrazzo apron at the store's entrance. [map]

Pep Boys [gone]
Fresno, CA
This Pep Boys location opened in 1948. The rooftop sign is probably from then. The backlit plastic letters were most likely neon originally. The Manny, Moe and Jack signs above the store's entrance were added in 1973 when an addition to the building was made. There is also a terrazzo floor at the entrance. In 2020, the store closed and the signs were removed. The rooftop sign will remain but be painted over by the next tenant. For more, see this website.

Pep Boys
Glendale, CA		 Pep Boys
Visalia, CA
This Pep Boys sign in Glendale is on display in the lobby at the Museum of Neon Art (MONA). It was supposedly built in the 1970s but I think it's older than that. It most likely, came from a Los Angeles store. For more, see this website.

This Pep Boys location is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. [map]

More Pep Boys Signs and Statues:
Los Angeles, CA [vintage; gone]
Hamden, CT
Volo, IL
Waldorf, MD
Richmond, VA [gone]
location unknown

If you know of any others that I might be missing, I'd love to hear from you.

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