Meet one of the newest muffler men on Route 66: the Big Bill Muffler Man in Vinita, Oklahoma. This roadside attraction took his own road trip on the route with Mobil 1, traveling from California to Illinois, before settling into a permanent home in The Sooner State.
In 2022 the synthetic motor oil brand Mobil 1 held a national event called “Keep Route 66 Kickin’.” With the mission to promote Route 66, they traveled across The Mother Road, stopping at small businesses along the way. With a custom Mobil 1 muffler man in tow, they set up fun events in various locations and set out to set records everywhere they went.
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The tour started with a fanfest at Santa Monica Pier, made its way to Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In in Seligman, Arizona to set a record for most milkshake flavors, went to Albuquerque New Mexico’s Clowndog Hot Dog Parlor to set a record for most corndogs eaten in 3 minutes, and ended at the Litchfield Skyview Drive-In in Illinois where it broke the world record of most dogs attending a film screening.
In Oklahoma, the Route 66 event stopped at Hi-Way Cafe in Vinita to set the record for Most Stickers on a Car. Using a 1963 American Rambler (a car from the same year the restaurant originally opened) more than 100 volunteers placed 60,066 half-inch stickers around the car’s body to create a mosaic-like image and setting a Guinness World Record.
As part of the “Keep Route 66 Kickin’” campaign, Mobil 1 brought a custom Muffler Man with them as they journeyed across Route 66, setting the giant up at each of the record-breaking stops to serve as a centerpiece for the festivities.
Muffler men roadside attractions are fiberglass giants who stand anywhere from 14 to 25 feet tall. Each has a similar design and was built between 1963 and 1972 by International Fiberglass in Venice, California. With signature stances, these big men stood outside of muffler shops and other businesses to call attention from the road.
After the tour ended, the owners of Hi-Way Cafe were able to procure the giant and bring him back to be displayed there permanently. In July 2023, he came back to Oklahoma and is now proudly displayed outside the Route 66 restaurant.
The 21-foot-tall muffler man wears a red work shirt and blue pants and stands tall next to a suitcase that is covered in stickers commemorating the stops on his Route 66 road trip. Since coming to the cafe, he’s been renamed “Big Bill” after the owner Beth’s father, the late Bill Wood.
Find this muffler man, a Big Indian, a restored neon sign, Route 66 murals, a Big Boy statue, a Betty Boop statue, and a sticker-covered 1963 AMC American Rambler at Hi-Way Cafe in Vinita, Oklahoma.
Photos of Big Bill Muffler Man in Vinita, Oklahoma
