Muffler men are tall fiberglass sculptures created by International Fiberglass in Venice, California, that were once popular advertising icons. There were many types of this roadside attraction produced — classic, Bunyan, cowboy, Indian — and they are found holding everything from hot dogs to American Flags. Another type is the bent-rod holding Mr. Bendo, like…
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Fiberglass Muffler Man number two this week has stood in the parking lot outside Lauterbach Tire & Auto Service in Springfield, Illinois since 1978. While the Lauterbach Tire Muffler Man (also known as the Lauterbach Giant) looked perfectly fine when I met him in 2007 (as pictured here), he had earlier undergone some tragedy: he lost…
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When you think of the word “Muffler Man” what do you think? Is it a guy who fixes your car? Or is it a person made from car mufflers? If you’re like me, you think differently, and think of something like this Muffler Man holding a hot dog in Atlanta, Illinois. A muffler man is a…
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Oh have you seen the muffler man, The muffler man, the muffler man? Oh have you seen the muffler man, That lives out on the lane? Oh yes I’ve seen the muffler man, The muffler man, the muffler man! Oh yes I’ve seen the muffler man, That lives out on the lane! Last week I…
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The Gemini Giant is a 28-foot tall muffler man who stands outside the Launching Pad restaurant in Wilmington, Illinois. He weighs in at a whopping 438 pounds: not counting his base of the giant 80-foot rocket he holds in his hands! This space man is one of many muffler men spread throughout the United States….
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ROAD TRIP! Over the weekend I took a mini road trip and drove around to check out a few roadside attractions in Illinois. I’ve already seen all of these oddities before, but they were all worth a second look. It was a short day-long excursion, proving you don’t have to go far… or even leave…
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It’s kind of sort of freezing here in Chicago. And snowy. Very snowy. I’m itching to get away (in fact, I spontaneously decided to plan a road trip to Texas in a few months!) but for now I just am wrapping myself in my Snuggie (don’t judge, my mom gave it to me for my…
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In honor of Abraham Lincoln’s 201st birthday today, here are some awesome Abraham Lincoln roadside attractions in Illinois! You might not automatically think roadside attractions when you think of our 16th President of the United States but he is actually the subject of quite a few tourist traps in the state. From the world’s tallest…
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Meet “Tootsie,” a colorful metal creature who makes her home in downtown Champaign’s West Side Park! Site: “Tootsie” Iron Statue Location: West Side Park, 400 W. University, Champaign, IL Cost: Free Hours: Always Visible (observe park closing times) Date: October 17, 2009
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Sometimes its 3pm and you’re at work, which means you are also on Twitter (hey, you’re only human) and you see the tweet you and many others have been waiting for too long: Superdawg Wheeling is open. Superdawg was opened in Chicago in 1948 by Maurie Berman and his wife Florence. The neighborhood carhop is…
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