Muffler Men
Roadside America: A tribe of titans, made of fiberglass and 14 to 25 feet tall, stands watch along the vibrant roadside landscape. They include exaggerated caricatures of lumberjacks, cowboys, and Indians, but the first statues we spotted held big car mufflers, so we named them "Muffler Men."
Latest Sightings | Tracking Map | Identify | Origins | Rant | Variants | List
Muffler Men Activity
CBS News "Sunday" chronicles fan enthusiasm for Muffler Men, history, tracking down statues, and the just opened American Giants Museum in Atlanta, IL. [August 27, 2023]
Identify!
Learn the types and characteristics of classics, hybrids, mutants -- their postures, their accessories, and their imitators. Hone your spotter skills!
Track!
Our specially configured Muffler Men Map reveals a happy continent of fiberglass giants. The original tracking chart lingers, full of our research and travelers' reports since we created the Muffler Men Home Page in 1996.
Origins
Where do these fiberglass giants come from? The molds fell from our eyes after we first interviewed Steve Dashew for the "Origin of the Species" (1999, updated 2023)
Right Hand Man: Historic details from sculptor Richard Ellis.
Rants: Secret Plot of the Muffler Men
Friend or foe? Biding their time for over 60 years, their true intent and machinations are still hazy to the non-fiberglass populace.
Variants, Related Roadside Giants, Competing Species
- Auto Parts Sculptures: Some call these "muffler men," too. Bah!
- Big Friend Extermination: The shame of the advertising industry.
Uniroyal Gals: Perky Jackie Kennedy lookalikes.- Frankenmuffler: Hard to explain.
- Big in Pictures: Bit parts for Muffler Man in movies and TV.
- Strange Sentries: Excursions across the border.
- True Tales: Accounts and revelations from the field.
