Muffler Men

Long ago, a race of fiberglass giants held mufflers all across America. Only a few hardy survivors can be found, and most of those have had their mufflers taken away. Oh, the tragedy of this doomed race!

Cowboy Muffler Man

Prescott, Arizona

This muffler man has lost his muffler but has gained a cowboy hat. He now stands watch over a herd of books outside the Frontier Book Store.
Directions: 947 Fair Street.
Last Visited: September 2008.

Lumberjack Muffler Men

Flagstaff, Arizona

The lumberjack is the mascot of Northern Arizona University; one of these lumberjacks stands outside, and one inside, the Walkup Skydome stadium on the NAU campus. The pair was formerly located outside of the Lumberjack Cafe (now called Granny's Closet) on Route 66. According to my research, the lumberjack was the first type of Muffler Man that was produced, and one of this pair was the first Muffler Man ever built, in 1962.
Directions: East side of the Skydome, at the intersection of Pine Knoll Drive and McConnell Circle East.
Last Visited: June 2008.

Lumberjack Muffler Man

Phoenix, Arizona

This lumberjack was formerly located at Lumberjack Building Materials on Broadway Road, but now stands in the front yard of a private residence on the west side of Phoenix.
Directions: 8009 W. Weldon Avenue.
Last Visited: September 2009.

Lumberjack Muffler Man

Tucson, Arizona

Another lumberjack, this one standing guard over a parking lot.
Directions: 2811 N. Stone Avenue (northwest corner of Stone Avenue and Glenn Street).
Last Visited: November 2008. Update: This lumberjack's axe was reported stolen in November 2009, but that was a false alarm; the axe had been temporarily removed to be replaced with a giant candy cane for the holidays.

Cowboy Muffler Man

Yuma, Arizona

Another cowboy, this one wearing a deputy badge and holding a rifle.
Directions: Westward Village R.V. Park, 3330 S. 8th Avenue.
Last Visited: November 2008.

Cowboy Muffler Man

Gallup, New Mexico

Yet another cowboy, this one on the roof of a used-car dealership.
Directions: John's Used Cars, 416 W. Coal Avenue.
Last Visited: October 2008.

Lumberjack Muffler Man

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Formerly atop a lumber yard, this lumberjack now stands above a Vietnamese Restaurant. Evidently he was not made from the same fiberglass mold as the "original" lumberjack muffler men, but is a close imitation.
Directions: Vietnamese May Cafe, 111 Louisiana Boulevard SE (southwest corner of Louisiana Boulevard and Central Avenue).
Last Visited: April 2010.

Nautical Muffler Man

Mentone, California

Another lumberjack, this one holding a board from which hang life preservers, propellers, and an outboard motor.
Directions: On the roof of a private residence, 1947 Garnet St. (1 block north of Mill Creek Road aka Highway 38).
Last Visited: December 2008.

Cowboy Muffler Man

Monroe, Ohio

This muffler man has been turned into a cowboy, and has had surgery to turn his left arm vertical.
Directions: I75 Exit 29, east 3/4 mile on Highway 62, north 1/2 mile on N. Union Rd. In field on north side of Trader's World flea market (best seen from Trader's World parking lot -- fee to enter).
Last Visited: April 2008.

Swim Trunks Man

Hampton, Minnesota

This giant stands in front of Tom Eilen and Sons Trucking, so I can kind of understand why he is holding a rope attached to the front of a truck. But why is he wearing only a pair of yellow swim trunks? Near him are smaller statues of a Viking and a gorilla -- I understand the reference to the Minnesota Vikings, but why a gorilla???
Directions: 22500 Hampton Boulevard (1 mile northwest of Hampton on County Road 50).
Last Visited: September 2008.

Carpet Genie

Cincinnati, Ohio

Technically not a muffler man, this two-faced genie originally held a giant roll of carpet at Aladdin Carpet Cleaning in Los Angeles, California. Now it holds up only the sky, in the parking lot of Cincinnati's American Sign Museum (tours by appointment only).
Directions: 2515 Essex Place (at McMillan Street).
Last Visited: April 2008.

Standard disclaimer: Sites are described for entertainment purposes only, as they were at the time of my last visit. I can not vouch for the current condition of the site or its accessibility.