Mr. Bill: Happy Halfwit Muffler Man
Winslow, New Jersey
Type: Halfwit (22 ft. tall)
Arm position: Standard
Accessories: Straw hat, pole and sign
Nickname: Mr. Bill
Gap-toothed, jug-eared Mr. Bill has greeted drivers on their way to the Jersey Shore since at least the turn of the 20th century. The statue itself is much older, a vintage "full neck" Happy Halfwit Muffler Man with original straw hat and suspenders. The restaurant where Mr. Bill stands first opened in the 1950s, and closed in 2014 when the owner left. Closed businesses rarely keep their Muffler Men -- usually they're sold and moved elsewhere -- but that didn't happen with Mr. Bill; he was still standing when retirees Cheryl and John Ernst bought the restaurant in 2016. In May they gave Mr. Bill a power wash, freeing him from years of accumulated grime, and had him repainted in his bright colors of 15 years earlier. The restaurant officially reopened in late July 2016 when Mr. Bill's neon hamburger sign was turned back on.
Age and accumulating rainwater caused Mr. Bill's right arm to fall off in November 2017. The Ernsts promised to have it promptly repaired and reattached.