Tootsie: Patriotic Uniroyal Gal

Bradenton, Florida

Type:Uniroyal Gal

Arm position: Standard, left arm up

Accessories: None

Nickname: Tootsie

Tootsie the Uniroyal Gal originally stood in Downer's Grove, Illinois. When her owner retired to Florida, he brought Tootsie with him -- and then he died. His son inherited Tootsie, and in 2013 he sold the Uniroyal Gal to Tom Edmunds for $500.

Tootsie lay on Tom Edmunds' transport trailer, behind his sheet metal fabricating shop, until 2015, the sun fading her blonde hair and polka dot bikini. She had barely been put up when Hurricane Irma in 2017 forced Tom to take her down again.

Before she went back up, Tom decided that Tootsie -- his name for her -- needed a makeover. He made her a brunette; gave her a red, white, and blue swimsuit; an ankle bracelet with four charms representing the branches of the U.S. military; a set of dog tags dangling from her right hand; and a platform with the slogan: "Patriotism means standing up for being an American."

Tootsie is standing up again, her patriotism clearly on display, and she is definitely an American, having been manufactured in California in the 1960s.