Haubstadt, Indiana - Martini-Drinking Pink Elephant

The first hint that something special was going on at the Jim Hipp Nursery was the replica of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse built alongside a pond, complete with a huge fish leaping out of the water - all clearly visible while traveling along I-64. Upon entering the nursery driveway I found a herd of fiberglass buffalo, along with many trees and bushes pruned into interesting shapes and animals. Further down the driveway were a couple of life-sized fiberglass Clydesdale horses, pulling a covered wagon with more horses in tow. Past the horses were two pink fiberglass elephants, one large and one small -- the larger holding a martini glass in it's trunk. Past the elephants you enter the nursery proper, where several live peacocks walk the premises.

I searched around for the owner and learned he was digging up a tree for a customer, so I checked things out further. I found more fiberglass elephants, a psychotic looking bugs bunny, a clown head trash can decoration, more peacocks, another elephant and a giant chair. The owner appeared and said that photos were permitted and I should "go ahead and shoot whatever I wanted, just nothing down by the houses." [Greg Brown, 01/27/2002]

[RA: July 2008: Jim Hipp died in 2006. But the family continues to run the nursery, and the statues that Jim collected are still on display.]

I just got back tonight (6/11/00) from a weekend trip to Holiday World at Santa Claus, IN. On the way home, we left I 64 at Exit 25, just north of Evansville, IN, and took US 41 north. About 1/2 mile north of I 64 on the east side of US 41 is the Jim Hipp Nursery (plants, not babies) that has quite a collection of large animal statues of plaster or plastic, all in full color, including a pink elephant and natural-colored giraffe and 2 bison. [Laird Carter, 06/12/2000]