Original 1965 Mohawk Petroleum Muffler Man For Sale

Posted on 07/25/2026 by jbaker98

Once again American Giants is assisting a seller with finding a home for their giant. We are now taking offers on behalf of the owner. Highest offers will be listed on this post and will be considered by the owner at the end of the time period. Making an offer does not guarantee the purchase of the giant, all offers are subject to the sellers acceptance. The end date is set for August 9 at 9:00 PM EST with a 10 min window passing without any new offers before the offer window will close. Please submit offers to email listed below along with an alias or user handle that will appear here. High offers can appear as quickly as 5 min or may take up to 24 hours to post in some cases. If you submitted an offer, it will post unless a higher offer was made. Seller has asked that all offers and contact be made through American Giants. Once high offer is accepted the sale will be made directly between the seller and buyer. American Giants does not claim ownership of these items and is acting as a facilitator for the sale with the info given by the seller.

Mohawk Petroleum Indian Muffler Man

Current High Offer = $30,000 – Lee Woods

High Offer Status = Accepting Offers

Send offers to info@usagiants.com

HISTORY – Calija was manufactured by International Fiberglass of Venice, California around 1965 for Mohawk Petroleum, an independent California gasoline company founded in 1932. Created to attract motorists from the highway, giants like Calija became some of the most recognizable roadside advertising figures of the mid-century era.

After his time at a Southern California Mohawk service station, Calija was acquired by educator Warren Binzley. He was first displayed at Apple Valley High School before becoming a fixture on the Binzley family property, where he remained for nearly sixty years.

Throughout those decades, Calija became far more than an advertising figure. He was dressed in dozens of costumes for holidays, birthdays, school events, weddings, and community celebrations, becoming a beloved local landmark for generations.

Included with the giant is what is believed to be his original International Fiberglass transport trailer, along with the original 1969 California Certificate of Ownership issued to Mohawk Petroleum Corporation. Few surviving giants retain this level of documented provenance or an original trailer.

Today, Calija is believed to be the last surviving giant associated with Mohawk Petroleum. His documented history, original paperwork, family ownership, and remarkable preservation make him one of the most historically significant fiberglass advertising giants ever offered for sale on American Giants

INFO – The sale includes both the complete Muffler Man as well as his original International Fiberglass Trailer. Both are being sold as-is, where-is, and may exhibit damage, cracks, and possibly missing pieces. The feather is not missing and has been kept by the family and is also included in the sale. The Muffler Man stands 21 feet tall and weighs approximately 400 pounds or more. Removal is the responsibility of the buyer. The buyer will coordinate payment, pickup dates, and logistics directly with the seller. The seller will allow up to two weeks for the buyer to remove the statue and trailer from the property. Time extensions must be requested and approved before this sale is complete. American Giants is available to answer questions about the history of the pieces and offer suggestions regarding transportation and restoration. The Muffler Man is located near Glendale, CA and is considered by American Giants to be in very good overall condition given its age.

Historical information and ownership background are based on information provided by the seller. American Giants is assisting with marketing the items and has not independently verified the ownership history.

#55 Libertyville, IL – Lumberjack

Posted on 09/20/2013 by jbaker98

Because they are rare it is always nice to come upon one of the 15 ft versions of muffler men. As I mentioned in AG Episode #1 after a few years of turning out the full size version of muffler men with great success, Steve Dashew owner of International Fiberglass wanted to offer customers more. He came up with the idea to make these shorter and lighter lumberjack versions in hopes of getting those customers that were put off by size or price when considering the 21 ft full size versions. They started making these guys around 1965 but unfortunately they were not all that popular and they stopped making them within a few years. They sold at least 20 of these guys however and many of them can still be found all across the 48 states today. The history of this one here at Lambs farm in Libertyville is a bit hazy but as far as I can tell he has been here since the mid or late 60’s and probably was ordered right from International Fiberglass. The story behind that started in 1961 when Bob Terese and Corinne Owen opened a pet store on Chicago’s State Street with 12 employees, the difference was that their employees all had developmental disabilities. Bob and Corinne’s mission was to help people with developmental disabilities lead productive and happy lives. They quickly received support and growing recognition from the Chicago community and in 1965 they relocated 35 miles to the north near Libertyville where Philanthropist W. Clement Stone had purchased and donated a 70 acre farm. They restored the century old bard into the area’s largest pet stores and with the extra space they made new businesses to bring in more adults with disabilities into their program.

This content has recently been updated to reflect the most recent info we have. The updated article and information has been moved to our Patreon Account. Please join us for there for full access and the complete article.

#50 Wilmington, IL – Gemini Giant

Posted on 08/22/2013 by jbaker98

Probably the most famous muffler man standing today is the Gemini Giant in Wilmington, IL. He stands in the parking lot of the Launching Pad Restaurant and has been for the last 48 years. I’ve covered the different versions of muffler men on this blog and in my youtube series “American Giants” and the gemini giant belongs the rarest version, the spaceman. In the mid 60’s we were in them middle of the space race and in June of that year Gemini 4 was launched, it was the second manned space flight in NASA’s project Gemini. As these events were unfolding in Cape Canaveral the guys at international fiberglass in California decided to keep up with the times and make a new variation to their muffler man line. And so the space man was born.

#49 Peoria, IL Uniroyal Gal

Posted on 08/20/2013 by jbaker98

These days the female version of the muffler man is a rare find and many muffler man hunters will drive out of their way to see her. Our case was no different when the American Giants crew deviated to Peoria, IL after visiting the Atlanta, IL Bunyan and before seeing the Gemini Giant in Wilmington. With only about 12 left across the country a uniroyal gal sighting is always a must if your in the area. I had heard about the one in Peoria before planning our road trip (currently being shown in American Giants Episodes) and found her unique in that she gets an outfit change every year. Turns out she is no stranger to Peoria and arrived there 45 years ago in 1968. She was part of a grand opening promotion for the Plaza Tire Co. and she was made by International Fiberglass for the Uniroyal Tire Company. Uniroyal had dozens of these giant women made in the mid 60’s to promote their tires and the girls were set up for promotions at participating dealers of Uniroyal Tires.

#48 Atlanta, IL – Bunyons Giant

Posted on 07/25/2013 by jbaker98

The little town of Atlanta IL has become a big stop for motorists traveling old route 66. With a population of just 1,700 it boasts a very unique old route 66 downtown on Arch Street that also includes the towns very own muffler man named Tall Paul. The area also includes an old diner, clock tower, route 66 antique store as well as other quant businesses. The muffler man is one of most iconic muffler men that exist today and the only one I know of to hold a giant hot dog. He appears to be a Bunyan version except for his clean shaven face and the lack of a knit cap. International fiberglass customized many of their giants to meet the customers needs so he is a bit of a cross breed with a cowboy head but with bunyan pants. He also appears to be made in the early days of International Fiberglass and is one of the few muffler men left to hold a custom accessory. I spotted him on our muffler man road trip last summer and he is a part of the first season of American Giants (episode #3).

#29 Atlanta, GA M Man

Posted on 02/26/2013 by jbaker98

The Bunyan just North of the airport in Atlanta, GA has been there for a very long time and interestingly his history is very vague. I do know that he is one of the better preserved giants out there and still is in amazing condition given his age. He was one of my early sightings back in 2012 and as close as he is to a major airport, you would think he would get more visitors.

To learn the full history of this giant and the interesting back story, check out the full article which has recently been updated and moved to our Patreon Account. Please join us for there for full access.

American Giants Promo #2

Video

Back in February of 2013 I released the second promo video on my youtube channel for the upcoming first season of American Giants. In the promo I show a bit more about what some of the first season will cover across the state of Illinois. Much of that early footage was shot just as the idea to make episodes was starting to come to me. This is all over 10 years ago now and a great look back at my early days in Muffler Men!

American Giants Promo #1

Video

It’s been two years now since I started my hobby and finally all those hours of study, research and travel are paying off in the form of videos of my travels and discoveries. This is the promo video for the episodes which will start this spring. Subscribe to the youtube channel to keep posted on my progress. Also make sure your following this blog as I post almost daily.