Since the first day a Muffler Man was made back around 1961, they have been popular. Bob Prewitt made the first one that stands today in Flagstaff AZ, and shortly after ,sold the mold to International Fiberglass. They started selling the giants around 1962, and boy did they sell! So much so that in just 10 short years, we guess a few hundred, of just the Bunyan version alone, stood at various businesses across the country. International Fiberglass went on to make other versions and broaden their market, so today, you can still visit, bunyans, cowboys, snerds (half wits), golfers, pirates and Indians after more than 50 years on the roadside.
Interestingly the most visited page of this website is the “for sale” page, and the question I am asked the most is, “how much is a Muffler Man worth?” This is a loaded question and to answer it properly, we should look at a little bit of history. In 1969 a standard 20ft Bunyan would have cost you $2,830 doll hairs, and additions would go up from there. The larger giants and Indian versions would run you a bit more. Great price right!? To put that into perspective, thats about $18,818 in todays money.
In 1972 IF stopped making Muffler Men, because the demand had dropped and shipping costs had sky rocketed. They continued to use outside contractors to fill orders for the giants, until the last two Muffler Men were made in 1974. That was the end of new Muffler Men, and the molds were destroyed. By the late 70s and early 80s the giants left standing across 
America were starting to look a bit haggard, and they were considered eye sores, and you could hardly give them away. I have heard of many being thrown out, buried, given away or sold for $30 or $40 bucks. That sentiment started to change in the early 90s, when they were becoming vintage and in the mid to late 90s the guys at Roadside America, started noticing them and brought attention to them after discovering their origins. People started writing in tips about current locations and they started to develop a following that is still growing today.
Smithsonian did an article about the long lost giants in 2000, and this raised interest and popularity even more. Over the next 10 years, more and more travelers would go out of their way to see a Muffler Man, and this was noticed by business owners. Because they had not been made in over 20 years, would be buyers, found them hard to obtain. Many owners were reluctant to part with the giants, because they were often passed down from an uncle or father, and had sentimental value. Also, the communities in small cities and towns were often (and still are) up in arms when learning, that the long time local landmark might be leaving. So the challenge of obtaining an original Muffler Man was born and the value of these aging giants was no longer $40.
By the time I came on the scene, and started researching these gentle giants in 2011, the going rate was around $5,000 and we would gawk, when we heard of one selling for more. Those who had purchased a giant in the 80s or 90s for a few bucks, were feeling pretty good about their purchase, and those who had done the selling were in shock. Muffler Men continued to remain hard to find, and it seems that to this day, only a handful will come up for sale each year, if any at all. It was kind of like winning the lottery, and if you happened to find one before all the other collectors had noticed you might get a good deal!
I sometimes wonder if my videos and research on these giants has contributed to the increased interest and value. As more people become aware of these unique giants from the 60’s, they continue to attract more visitors each year, which in turn makes them more desirable by business owners and collectors. Condition has always been a factor in value, and now that many of these giants have turned 50, it seems harder and harder to find ones in good condition. And lets not forget the mysterious pull these giant’s have, they are old, unique to the 60s and remind of us a different time and seem to bring adventure and joy to all who seek them out.
In the last few years we have seen Muffler Men in good condition, once again reach the same value they had when sold new back in the 60s. There is no set value on a Muffler Men but some of the most recently sold Muffler Men have fetched higher numbers, which are very close to the $18,818 they sold for in the 60’s, if you adjust for inflation. Now that doesn’t always mean that grandpas Muffler Man, you’ve still got laying out in the back 40 rotting away is going to get you 20K! Remember that condition plays a big part of the sale price, because once a buyer purchases your giant, he 
has to restore it, and he doesn’t want to end up with more into the giant then he could possibly get back out. I’d say most original Muffler Men today, are valued around 3-11K, but one in decent condition could fetch much more. Also another factor is how rare they are, if you have an original 14 ft version, Uniroyal Gal or one of 5 existing Texaco Big Friends, the value goes way up regardless of condition. Bottom line, Muffler Men are worth what the collector is willing to give, and sometimes that figure may surprise you and other times disappoint.
For current Muffler Men for sale keep a regular eye on our “For Sale” page. Currently there is an original 14 ft version for sale in AZ as well as a standard Bunyan head, you can check them out by clicking here
As we all know, an eclipse is comping up next week and America is counting the days. Today as I was looking at the map and lamenting the fact that I am 2 hours from the totality path, I noticed some muffler men aren’t. In fact, 15 Muffler Men, 2 Big Johns and a handful of A&W family’s are going to get a great view!
The eclipse will start on the west coast and travel east. The first International Fiberglass figure to see it will be a teen burger boy in Albany, OR standing just south of the line of totality at Shirley May’s café. It’s ladies first after that, with the Uniroyal Gal in Blackfoot, ID who is just south of the totality path and will get an almost perfect view. Two A&W burger family’s follow her in Thermopolis, WY and also another in Casper, WY. Next is the “indian”, actually bow tie service man version in North Platte, NB who stands on the southern boundary of the eclipses path. Just south of the path stands the Lake of the Ozarks Indian we restored a year ago, he will get an almost perfect view and he’s even facing the right 
direction. The only Bunyan to have a raised right arm in a waving position is next, not far from St Louis, MO. He stands along interstate 70 on the south side near the town of Foristell and is on the northern boarder of the path. As the eclipse continues to move across MO it will pass another little known Muffler Man lying on his back in a junk yard who will watch it go by. Next is Illinois and the entire American Giants collection will get a great view of the eclipse. Two Big Johns will also enjoy the event, first the one in Eldorado, IL and almost immediately after, the recently restored giant in Metropolis. The honored Muffler Man of the day will be the Mortons Gap Muffler Man that we restored a few years back in KY. He stands just slightly south of the line of totality and 
also happens to be within a few miles of the location of greatest Eclipse. Another almost direct hit will be the Indian in Cross Plains, TN. This would be a great spot to watch the eclipse go by. The former El Monte, CA Muffler Man moved all the way to Gallatin, TN just so he could get a good view and he will if he takes his hat off and looks up. Next is the former Chicago Mr Bendo who also seems to have moved for the same reason. He is now known as Mr Hobby and stand in Blue Ridge GA just on the southern boundary of the path of totality. Last but not least is the Muffler Man in Washington, GA who is just a few miles past the southern boundary of totality but still almost a perfect view.
After that the eclipse passes over the Muffler Man vacant state of South Carolina and out to sea. So if you have the chance pick one of these Muffler Men to watch the eclipse with and be sure and send us a picture on instagram #mufflermaneclipse
As many of you know, Bruce Kennedy of Bell Plastics in Hayward, CA has been collecting Muffler Men for years. These days his collection has grown to epic proportions and includes much more than just Muffler Men. In addition to the doggie diner heads, Sinclair Dino’s and Big Boy statue, Bruce has a few creations of his own as well as a classic Uniroyal Gal right out of the restoration shop!
I’m often asked, what is it about Muffler Men that pulls you in? I’ve never claimed to have that answer, but I do know that there is something fascinating about these giants, and their story. It’s probably a combination of different factors, that make finding and tracking them so intriguing. It doesn’t take long to get the “bug”, and after that, your forever aware of the giants, and always seem to have an eye out for them.
We don’t know how many were made, but we do know that there are still close to 200 Muffler Men out there, and even more that are tucked away in storage, or rotting away out in the back 40. It seems the rare ones are the most interesting. Like the 14 half wits that are left, the 16 Uniroyal Gals or the 7 Mr Bendo’s. And let’s not forget the rarest of them all, the Texaco Big Friend!
The big question is, how is it that 300 of these colossal service men were made, and only four remain today. Many of us have seen the old picture from 1966 of all the Big Friends lined up at International Fiberglass ready for shipment to various Texaco stations across the country. The sheer size and number impress us, as they all stand grouped together, making the flatbed truck seem so small. It’s easy to look at that picture and think, “yep there they all are, 300 big friends”. Actually, if you count, there are only around 22 in that picture, a small fraction of the 300 that were made. One can only imagine what a picture would look like, that actually showed all 300 of them grouped together. It’s hard to comprehend how large that group would have been, and yet, only 4 of the giants remain today.
We don’t know many of the details of why the promotion was canceled so fast, or what the deposal method was for the giants, but it must have been a good one. Today Big Friends still stand (or lay) in Oregon, Idaho, Illinois and Arkansas. In addition to that a few parts and pieces have survived. There is a Texaco Big Friend head in Chicago, in a private collection, as well as a arm and hand holding a bird bath in a backyard somewhere out West and that’s it. Or is it? What are the odds that with 300 of the giants made, there’s more than just 4 left, I’d say very high, we just haven’t found them yet.
Since the guys at Roadside America started bringing attention to the Muffler Men, back in the mid 90s, the knowledge and interest in them has steadily grown and continues today. The giants drawn more and more visitors each year and many tourist towns recognize this fact, and capitalize on their local giant, or desire to purchase one. Business owners also desire the giants, and we have watched their value steadily increase from 3 digits to 5! However, even with their growing popularity, it has been proved over and over again, that they can be in plain sight and still go unnoticed.
Muffler Men always sell when they come up for sale to the muffler man audience, there is a high demand for them. And yet, finding them is the challenge! Recently a Phillips66 Cowboy sat on craigslist for months before he was finally noticed and purchased. A Uniroyal Gal also sat on craigslist for months in Baltimore before her owner stumbled on this website and mentioned her, she was sold within hours with dozens of would be buyers lamenting the fact that she had been for sale for 6 months and they never noticed.
Then there is the story of Tim Loyd. Tim lives in Denton Texas, and owns a candy store just off the town square, across from the courthouse. He enjoys collecting Americana to decorate his store, and in 2011 visited Burley Auction in New Braunsfels, TX. He noticed a large, well defined hand being sold and purchased it for his candy store. When he got home he hung it from the ceiling to join the other unique attractions. He had no idea what the big hand was from, but it seemed like the perfect fit. Years past and early this year someone mentioned to him that there was a large head out in front of an antique store in Ardmore, OK. This intrigued Tim and he decided to drive up to Ardmore to see if he could find this giant head. Upon 
arrival at the Clover Leaf antique store he immediately spotted the head just to the right of the entrance. It had been painted a pasty white and had a cap on its head, and was staring happily at the sky. The owner wanted more than Tim was willing to pay so he drove home. But there was just something about that head, and Tim started doing some research. He discovered this website and started reading the articles, and learned about the Texaco Big Friend. How 300 were made and only 4 were left today. As he looked at those pictures, he realized what he had just found in Ardmore. It wasn’t long before Tim was headed back to the Clover Leaf, and secured the purchase of a VERY rare Texaco Big Friend head, to join the Texaco Big Friend hand he already had in his store.
Tim wasted no time in getting to work on the head. He found that with effort, he was able to remove the white paint from the face, revealing the original paint underneath. It took him about 20 hours to remove all the paint and get things back to original. Although worn, the Big Friend head came to life all over again. The hat has a few holes and cracks in it but demonstrates how old these giants are, and validates their vintage.
sat just off the interstate exit, right smack in front of the store, outside, for years, without being spotted by anyone that knew what a Muffler Man was. It never showed up on Instagram, facebook or Roadside America. It just goes to show you that, there are more undiscovered giants out there, and they could very possibly be in plain sight. In fact, another piece of a Muffler Man still remains at the store, yards from where the Big Friend head was. You just never know what tomorrows discoveries might be. So on your next trip through Denton Texas, be sure and stop by the Atomic Candy Store, buy some candy and check out one of six known Texaco Big Friend heads….and a left hand.
My #70th Muffler Man sighting took place in Chicopee, MA in July of 2012. This was a unique sighting, because he is a rare breed of Muffler Man. Although made by International Fiberglass, he is not made from the regular Muffler Man mold. He is a unique giant that we refer to as a waving giant and he is taller than regular Muffler Men.
Waving Giants, although they closely resemble the Texaco Big Friend, are not the same. Texaco Big Friends show teeth and actually lack the top of their heads under the cap, while these guys have closed lips and a full head of hair. Waving Giants could be ordered with a dress shirt and tie or with a full suit coat as well. We know a handful were made in the mid 1960s but only 4 originals can still be found today. The one this article is about, another in Oakwood Village OH, a third that is stored in the attic of a business near Chicago and a forth that Glenn Goode found in Garland, TX in the 80s rotting away behind a business. Glen would not only restore this waving giant but make copies of him, although all of his, including the original have regular muffler man heads.
The Waving Giant in MA is one of two that we know of that had the full suit coat. We have uncovered a vintage picture of a waving giant with a suit coat at an unknown location but have no idea where he ended up or if he still exists and feel it is very unlikely he is the one from MA.
the pizza shop ordered the giant new from International Fiberglass, as we have seen pictures of a waving giant head wearing a pizza chef hat on the lot at International Fiberglass. However after extensive searching I’ve never been able to find record of a pizza shop with a giant in Framingham, or any pictures.
Cantalini was involved in many businesses over the years. He ventured into the hotel industry in the early 1990s at the age of 74. One of the hotels that he owned was known as the Chicopee Motor Inn when it was built in 1958. The hotel was designed by the highly acclaimed architect, Morris Lapidus. It went by several names over the years before Cantalini bought it and renamed it the Plantation Inn. The hotel’s heyday was in the 1960s when it was known as the Schine Inn. It was a very popular place with celebrities like Muhammad Ali and Judy Garland. In 1999, the hotel’s most famous guest arrived. The Uncle Sam statue was taken out of storage and transformed into a Southern gentleman. The statue’s suit and top hat were painted white. It was installed in front of the hotel facing a busy interstate exit.
After 14 years at this location, the giant statue was sold at an auction on Friday, November 15th. According to an article in The Republican “Plantation Man” sold at auction on Friday to Charlie Arment Jr. of Charlie Arment Trucking in Springfield. The auction generated allot of interest and over 100 people were present to witness the event. Charlie won the bid at $11,500 outbidding others as far away as KY. He was sketchy when giving future details but planned to keep the giant in the local area. According to the auction’s advertising, the statue was sculpted by Sacha Schnittman. While Schnittman did sculpt the 
After it was sold the waving giant was moved to Feeding Hills just outside of Agawam, MA at a shopping plaza on Springfield Street. In late 2015 the giant could be seen at the east end of the Plaza but in 2016 was moved to the west end and stood in front of construction storage building. In May 2017 the giant disapeared and we have yet to learn where he was moved to. If anyone has information please email me joel@usagiants.com
This post is an attempt to continue posting information on my Muffler Man Sightings, picking up where I left off with me #69 sighting back in July 2012. I had been traveling across New York, visiting Muffler Men, and had just left Lake George. I headed east and just after crossing into Massachusetts, I stopped at Green Valley Equipment in the little town of Hancock. This was a special sighting for me, because it is one of the rare bow tie versions. Only a handful of these variants remain today, and other then the bow tie, they look just like the rest.
It was April 2012, and on a windy but clear day, I stood in Pahrump, NV looking up at one of four remaining Texaco Big Friends. These days Texaco Big Friends are not readily identifiable to the untrained eye. When the Big Friend program was canceled in 1967, almost all of the giants were destroyed, except for a few who were drastically altered to fit their new rolls. Like his remaining siblings, the Pahrump Big Friend no longer had his Texaco suit, but was painted to look almost like Robin Hood, and held a large sign in his open palm. The giant had a non standard hat, and a big square hole cut in his back. I remember hearing the birds roosting inside and wondering why there was a hole in his back.
Stations in the South West in 1966 and 67. It is possible he is the same Big Friend that stood at Molly’s Broadway Texaco, in Lemon Grove in October 1966. It is most likely that he was in the Las Vegas area when the program was 
suspended, and somehow he ended up being owned by the Young Electric Sign Company or YESCO. YESCO is a huge sign company responsible for many famous signs in Vegas, including the Circus Circus, Vegas Vic sign and countless others. It is unknown what they used the Big Friend for, or where and how he was displayed, but in 1981 he was sold to Jack Stanton in Pahrump, who had him repainted in green Irish colors, and made to look a bit like Robin Hood with a new hat. Stanton opened Valley Manufactured Homes in 1989, and the giant advertised for that business until it closed in 2009. It is not known where the giant stood from it’s purchase in 1981, till 1989 when it was used at Valley Homes.
In 2013 the property was liquidated to pay restitution to a local family, and as part of the clearing of the property, the giant and sign he was a part of, were dismantled and taken down. The giant was not seen as having any value, but the metal sign and pipe was to be used for scrap and the giant was hooked up to a
pressure, and the arm tore off. A shoe was lost in transit to the dump, and the giant was prepared for scrapping. Thankfully the local news did a story on it, and myself and others flooded the landfill with phone calls inquiring about the giant. At that point they realized that he was special, and a historic Texaco figure, and decided to save him. A few months later it was decided to donate him to the local museum in March of 2014, and he was trucked over and dumped on their back lot, with the big heavy pipe still in his leg.
The former big friend laid in pieces for the next two years, and was visited occasionally by muffler men enthusiasts, and visitors to the museum. We approached the museum in April of 2016 about purchasing and restoring the giant and after a few months the board notified us of their decision to sell him to us, and we were able to pick him up on October 7, 2016. Neto and I flew into Las Vegas the day before and rented a truck to haul him back east. We arrived early in
about a half hour turned into almost a 4 hour ordeal. The pipe had been removed for us by the museum, but what we didn’t account for was bird poop. The giant’s arm were literally full of bird poop, and after 20 years it was more like concrete. We were not able to lift the giant because of the weight and spent hours removing the poop and bones before we could lift the head and torso into the truck. I have worked extensively with regular muffler men and the Big Friends are much heavier. It was all Neto and I could do, to lift the legs and the torso into that truck. Texaco Big Friends are simply massive and he almost didn’t fit!
He was transported to Illinois for a restoration that will start summer 2017 and hopefully be completed sometime in 2019. The next step is to take the giant completely apart, and start identifying where each piece of fiberglass fits, it will be like putting together a puzzle on his chest. We will lay the broken fiberglass in all the holes and reconnect them. At that point we will be able to clearly see what pieces are still missing, and we will mold new pieces from an existing big friend. Our giant is completely missing his hat and left foot so those pieces will need to be made from scratch. We will have to take a mold from a current statue and then duplicate the part.
In addition to making new parts we will have to completely sand the giant down to the gelcoat and also repaint and detail him. It will be a huge undertaking but we are willing to put in the effort and money because of how rare he is. When I stood gazing up at the giant in 2012, I never dreamed we would own him one day, and have the opportunity to restore him. The places Muffler Men will take you……..
American Giants - Muffler Men 