Mentone, California: Muffler Man - Paul Bunyan
Pete Van Horn's house and yard are decorated with a large Muffler Man Paul Bunyan, a giant rooster, a Statue of Liberty head, a bucking horse, and an airplane.
- Address:
- Garnet Ave., Mentone, CA
- Directions:
- Garnet Avenue and Mill Creek Road. Private home. Visible from street.
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
-
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Privately owned and maintained Muffler Man is in the classic Paul Bunyan-style attire (red work shirt, burly beard and blue jeans). The ax, however, has been swapped with a baseball bat.
Retired yacht captain Peter Van Horn originally gave the statue as a Christmas present to his young son. This kicked off a larger collection that skews slightly nautical, but is impressive in size and scope. Much of the collection is spread throughout the two acres of property and is obscured by a fence.
Peeking out and easily visible from the street is the Muffler Man, a large metal chicken, and a model of the Statue of Liberty's head.
[Sam Wilkins, 05/08/2021]
I came across some January 2000 pics of Paul Bunyan and his companion rooster. I grew up nearby, and this is how I remember the place looking, before all the other stuff was added!
[Candace S., 01/09/2018]
This is by far the coolest yard art I have ever seen. Along with Paul Bunyan, this man has a giant rooster, the head of the Statue of Liberty, a bucking horse, and a plane -- all in his yard.
[Izzy Charm, 06/14/2006]
The muffler man and giant rooster at the house in Mentone have now been joined by an equally imposing Statue of Liberty head! The new addition appeared sometime in the last 18 months. I didn't attempt to contact the residents of the house where all these icons are displayed, so I don't have an inside scoop.
[Candace, 08/29/2001]According to Sarah: "I live at the house where the Paul Bunyan is. My fiance's dad owns the property. My fiance received Paul for Christmas when he was three years old. Peter Van Horn, his dad, bought Paul from a gas station that was going out of business. He got him at a discount because one of the arms was missing. so he had to have one made from a mold that was taken from his other hand. That is why they are both facing downwards. There are a lot of different things on the property including a spaceship, a statue of liberty head, a huge chicken, and the airplane from the movie 1942. The airplane is on the roof of the back house. It has bullet holes and tar from when it landed in the tar pits in the movie."
I don't know how long this has been here but it has been there for around 10 years, maybe more. It's a little off the beaten path. Both hands are down but it looks like a lumberjack muffler man holding a big board. There are a lot of other odd things there, like a giant chicken on the roof, a horse, the head of the statue of liberty (Planet of the Apes prop?), space car, and other stuff in the backyard.
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The owner of this Muffler Man has since filled the yard around it with, among other items, a bucking horse, an airplane, outboard motors, and a Statue of Liberty head.