Ocean City, New Jersey -
Muffler Man - Pirate

Muffler Man - Pirate

Hook-handed, peg-legged, one-eyed adventurer ready to hew through summer boardwalk crowds with his mighty cutlass. Roadsideamerica.com Report...

Muffler Man - Pirate or Bunyan?

I've been visiting Ocean City, New Jersey all my life, every summer (I was born in 1982). I'm not sure what tips were given that claimed the pirate Muffler Man there was a Bunyan previously, but they were correct. While I'm sure Bob Smith is telling the truth about manufacturing pirate muffler men, I don't believe he is correct about one going to Ocean City, NJ. I loved that mini golf course when I was a child, and I am positive the giant on the course used to be Bunyan. I double checked with my mom and cousin and they agreed. I think his career switch was made in the 90s at some point (I'm thinking late 90s). [Nikki Edwards, 01/16/2008]

Muffler Man on Ocean City Boardwalk

I was just reading about a muffler man, disguised as a pirate, that has been sighted on the Ocean City, NJ boardwalk. This pirate was always a pirate. He was never a "muffler man." I worked with a friend of mine doing fiberglass reproductions in the mid seventies and we made six of these pirates that were all used in miniature golf courses. There may well have been others made that I am unaware of as the mold was used when I started working with him. My friend, Andy, has died but I am still around and just wanted to set the record straight. [Bob Smith, 02/26/2005]

[RA: Thanks for illuminating the origin of the east coast's unique pirate cluster. We still believe they were created from molds based on a muffler man! International Fiberglass in California sold a pirate variation (with optional accessories such as a cutlass, peg leg, and eyepatch) in the mid-1960s. We call 'em muffler men because we first spotted them holding mufflers, but today we know that there were many variations sold.]

Muffler Man - Boardwalk Pirate

The muffler man pirate stands in the rear of a miniature golf course. We were encouraged to believe a former Bunyan had been repurposed into a peg-legged scoundrel. But this same configuration -- rare though it be, me lads -- has been reported elsewhere.

As we now know, the Piratization of a muffler man was an original factory specification, with accessories such as the eye patch and peg leg available as options.

Eerily, a doppelganger pirate muffler man also lords over the other Ocean City, in Maryland. [Roadsideamerica.com Team, 06/05/2004]

Muffler Man - Boardwalk Pirate

Notice some of the details of this highly-modified Muffler Pirate Man. The peg leg, the added beard and big red jacket. The earings and the eye patch. The right up-turned hand is a hook. What I love the most is how well the sword fits in his "hands."

There were a number of more interesting miniature golf courses on the boardwalk, but I played in this one only because I recognized this silent giant. [Alex Curbelo, 09/06/1998]