San Angelo, Texas: Muffler Man: Mr. Bendo
Advertises an auto supply store, and was reportedly awarded to its owner, the late Marvin Fillip, in a divorce. Marvin and Mr. Bendo had been together since 1965.
- Address:
- Fillip Rd, San Angelo, TX
- Directions:
- Southwest of San Angelo on the Mertzon Hwy/US Hwy 67. From the Hwy 306 loop around the city, exit onto US Hwy 67 S./W. Houston Harte Expy toward Mertzon. Drive southwest for just under five miles. Just as you pass the huge fireworks building on the left, you'll see a small dirt road on the left side. Mr. Bendo stands at the end of it, a few hundred feet back from the highway, but visible if you're looking for him.
- Admission:
- Free
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
-
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I looked for Mr. Bendo in Mertzon TX at the location described, but did not see him anywhere.
[Chrystine, 04/06/2008]To my surprise and delight, my latest Muffler Man sighting was done on television, on our local news station Channel 8, WHAT in Dallas-Ft Worth. They have a segment called Texas Tales, and they featured a Muffler Man that is located at San Angelo, Texas. He belongs to a Marvin Fillup who owns a auto supply store. He calls him Mr. Bendo and he is 22-ft tall. He was purchased in California in the 1960s, Marvin said. He also said Mr. Bendo went through divorce proceedings and Marvin won him.
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Mr. Bendo is set back from the highway, so he's a little hard to spot. But he still stands in the same place he has since 1989, leaning against a telephone pole, holding his muffler. For years he was in downtown San Angelo in front of Fillip Automotive. When the business moved out of town, Mr. Bendo moved with it. Marvin Fillip, who died in 2005, had several stories about the origins of Mr. Bendo. The most likely one was that he "won" the Muffler Man for one year in 1965 as a sales bonus, then simply kept Mr. Bendo when the muffler company went bankrupt.