Light Bulb Idea Man

Austin, Texas

Above the head and torso of a well-dressed white man is an old style incandescent light bulb. He's having an idea! The Light Bulb Idea Man sculpture is about 20 years old, but the inspiration seems to come from advertising art a half century earlier.

The Light Bulb Shop first opened in 1986, and developed a local reputation for tracking down hard-to-find light bulbs. The 13-ft. tall sculpture was created in the 1990s. The face resembles store owner Edwin McGary, according to the sales guys in the shop. Back then it was called "Light Bulb Ed," but his current nickname seems to be simply "The Head."

At some point there was a paint makeover of the smiling, jug-eared head that vaguely resembled Barack Obama. Bad idea? It was reverted after only one day.

Blue Genie Art Industries, the fabricators who created Light Bulb Idea Man, also sculpted Ms. Pearl, the pecan-loving squirrel in Cedar Creek, Texas.