Giant in a Gym (Gone)

Portland, Oregon

In the 1970s "He-Man" straddled the entrance to a gym on Muscle Beach in California. He stood 18 feet tall, was flesh colored, and could be glimpsed during strongman competitions on Wide World of Sports. Busy bodybuilders walked between the colossus's cabled legs and drew inspiration from his eight-pack abs.

Years later, George Comalli bought He-Man and moved him to Portland, where the beefcake statue was painted gold and stood on the roof of Comalli's "Giants Gym." Portland, however, was not Muscle Beach. Citing strict signage laws, the city made George take He-Man down.

Rather than abandon his golden mascot, George moved He-Man indoors, where for years his head poked out of sight through a hole in the gym's drop ceiling. Now remodeled, the interior is open so that He-Man can once again be fully visible as a role model, although George laughs that the statue's disproportionately small package suggests that He-Man uses steroids.