Hatch, New Mexico: RV Muffler Man

While traveling on Interstate 25 I stopped in Hatch, New Mexico to eat at the Dairy Queen. Next door was an RV salesman with this muffler man holding a tiny model of a Winnebago RV in his upturned right hand. The RV dealership is called Franciscan RV.

I found this Muffler Man driving through Hatch, New Mexico. It is on the west side the road about a half-mile south of I-25 on State Highway 26. Looks like a standard Muffler Man with a small RV in his right hand. He is standing in what looks to be a construction storage yard. Note the hamburger girl in the red dress next to him. There is a western hat on the ground next to his left leg. He appears to be in very good shape.

We are the ones who bought the MM from the Heritage Museum in Ohio. We own Franciscan RV in Hatch, New Mexico and love the "Big Guy." He stands in front, facing the highway. He just got up in early April, and within one hour we were visited by the police regarding a local complaint -- sign and frontage violations.

Because of this, I would like to locate another large figure, or the A&W Root Beer Family for an upcoming diner we are remodeling 5 blocks down the street to give the town folks even more to gossip about.

On February 15, the Western Reserve Historical Society sold their muffler man on eBay for $7,100. The statue had been in storage for several years and was declared "excess inventory." His accessories include a cowboy hat and an 18 ft. long rifle. According to the auction description, "This figure graced an Oklahoma truck stop until about 1990, when it was purchased and completely refurbished and repainted."

He is still in storage. I spoke to someone at the Crawford Museum who said they lost their funding for the planned new museum after 9/11, so everything they got remains in storage. Alas.