#47 Springfield, IL – Bunyan

Posted on 07/09/2013 by jbaker98

Standing tall in Springfield, IL the Lauterbach muffler man is one of the better known muffler men out there. He owes this mostly to his popular location standing on historic route 66 in west central Illinois. He appears across the internet in many pictures taken by visitors as well as in Gabriel Aldaz’s book. He is a classic bunyan version and is actually one of the first one’s made judging by the way his arms are connected to his body. This muffler man was featured in American Giants 2nd episode and myself and the guys visited him in the summer of 2012 and were able to get his story and history. In 1952 Russ Lewis started Midtown Tire where the Hilton hotel now stands. Business was good and in 1961 he opened up a second store at the corner of State and Laurel and in 1962 purchased what at the time was a brand new Bunyan giant from International Fiberglass in Venice, CA. In todays money a muffler man in 1962 sold for about $13,600, at the time that was about $1,300. Sadly that store only stayed open another year and when it closed the giant was sold to the Round up Cafe 24 miles to the south in Farmersville, IL. The giant stood there for the next 15 years until 1978 when I-55 was put in and the giant was sold back to the Lewis family. That same year the giant was set up on Wabash Ave at it’s current location and has now been there for 25 years. In 1962 he held a tire in his right hand and today he holds a flag pole, I have yet to see a picture from his days at the Roundup Cafe and I am not sure what he held during that time.

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#46 Macon, IL – Soda Jerk

Posted on 06/23/2013 by jbaker98

This sighting happened on my first official Muffler Man trip back in 2012. It was the trip where we shot our first episodes about Muffler Men and he was our first stop of the day. He stands in the middle of a field along highway 51 and the business he apparently was ordered for stood empty and unfinished behind him at the time. He had been standing here holding his ice cream for a few years at this point and it wasn’t till later that the place was opened and completed. We correctly assumed he was defiantly one of Mark Cline’s creations made from the mold he had cast from a 15 ft muffler man years before. At the time, I had never talked to or met Mark who was actively making soda jerks and cowboys, all variations of the original 14 ft lumberjack from International Fiberglass. This one has one hand down at his side while others were in standard muffler man configuration with both hands out.

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#45 Montpelier, IN – Indian

Posted on 05/26/2013 by jbaker98

International Fiberglass made three kinds of Native American you could order. One was a brave with a bare chest and normally one or 2 feathers and a serious face. This version seems to be the more common today. The second was almost the same but actually had a different head mold with a fierce facial expression and a full headdress. Other then the head both versions are the same from the neck down. The third came with a necklace and a tomahawk and a few other differences and is the most rare out of the three. One of the Chief versions can be found in the small town of Montpelier, IN and he has lived here since January of 1984 and his history and how he got here and where he came from is fascinating.

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#44 Muncie, IN – Service Man

Posted on 05/18/2013 by jbaker98

The Muncie M man seems to have called this town home for a very long time. As far back as I have been able to dig he has always been somewhere in Muncie. Earliest sightings placed him on on Broadway Ave at a local car lot and I have seen a few rare pictures of him at that location. He was eventually moved to a property next to the interstate and held a small car for awhile. These days he advertises big equipment and has been repainted but holds nothing.

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#42 Caguas, Puerto Rico M Man

Posted on 04/23/2013 by jbaker98

My 42 sighting was truly a hunt and thankfully there was a scratch of information about it online that I was able to track down. In 2012 I was able to use a work trip to Puerto Rico to follow the rumors and track down this Muffler Man in Caguas. The story of how he got there and his history fascinated me and also being able to confirm he actually existed. You may be surprised to find out where he is today and what his future holds.

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#38 Hatch, NM Soda Jerk

Posted on 04/05/2013 by jbaker98

In Hatch, NM there is a Mark Cline Soda Jerk that has had a rather interesting life looking for just the right spot but never has seemed to figure out where he belongs. I first saw him when he was out back at the RV business. When that closed he was set up at a short lived chicken restaurant and today is on his back behind a fence.

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#36 Las Cruces, NM M Man

Posted on 03/22/2013 by jbaker98

The La Cruces Muffler Man has stood at Big Daddy’s Flea Market for decades but before that it had a life as a Phillips 66 Cowboy. With his hat long gone this guy has a few secrets we were able to uncover when we visited him.

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Pahrump Big Friend Down

Video

December 12 was was a sad day in the muffler man world and I remember it well. One of 4 known Big Friends was taken down that morning after standing on top of a sign pole for about 20 years or so. He was known as the Valley Home Giant and stood at Valley Homes along highway 160 in Pahrump, NV. He had been repainted since his Texaco days but was still recognizable as one of the very rare Big Friends. Before coming to Pahrump in the early 90’s he stood on the Boulder Highway in Las Vegas at a mobil home business. Originally he most likely stood at a Texaco gas station on Las Vegas Blvd. The 2012 news story shares the details of why he was taken down, it is both sad and unfortunate. I have always hoped one of these guys would be restored back to Texaco colors and thankfully that is still a possibility for the Pahrump Big Friend. After he was taken down the locals including the TV station and newspaper became aware of his value and history from all the inquiries they received about him. This possibly prompted the Pahrump Valley Times to write an article on his disappearance and they were able to find out what happened to him after he was hauled off. Although some may not have realized his value thankfully the guys at the landfill figured there was more to this guy then a pile of junk. He was broken up a bit in the dismantling and shipping to the landfill so they took him in pieces. He was eventually donated to the local museum where he laid out back till 2016 when American Giants purchased him and hauled him to IL. It seven years to get around to restoring him but in 2023-2024 he was fully restored and set up at a museum as I always hoped for.

#33 Texarkana, TX M Man

Posted on 03/10/2013 by jbaker98

A rare Luke Lombard 14ft Bunyan hides in a landscaping shop in Texarkana. One of the better preserved promotions from the 1960s this guy has had a long life and managed to somehow keep his rare hat! From being up on a bill board outside to now standing inside with a full makeover this guy has had an interesting life.

#32 Shreveport, LA Muffler Man

Posted on 03/08/2013 by jbaker98

Actually closer to Bossier City this cowboy has been up on this pole for about 37 years. He stands high above the Topps Western World and Trailer Sales just north of I-20 to the east of Bossier City. As far as cowboys go this one is in really good shape. He also is decked out with allot of accessories which is nice to see since these days many cowboys have long lost all their extra stuff. As with most cowboys, he once stood at a Phillips 66 station and had their logo on his chest pocket. He was purchased around 1982 by the owner of Topps named Bubba Reeves. He’s been moved a few times and given a few paint jobs and even endured a direct hit from a tornado. In 2023 the giant was taken down for restoration.

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