Standing Tall on the Mother Road
Standing tall along Oklahoma’s stretch of historic Route 66 are towering fiberglass statues, some reaching up to 20 feet high. Travelers often stop, look up, and stand in awe. Some of these giants hold mufflers or hot dogs, others raise a fist or an ax. Dressed as a Paul Bunyan look-alike, a cowboy, a Native American, or even as Rosie the Riveter, each figure has its own personality and story. These are the giants of the Mother Road.
Origins of the Giants
In the early 1960s, a company in Venice, Calif., International Fiberglass, began using molds to fashion fiberglass statues that resembled Paul Bunyan. Each figure was made from fiberglass reinforced with steel, molded in sections, and bolted together. They were hollow but sturdy, easy to transport but tough enough to withstand the elements.
The statues were then sold to businesses as three-dimensional advertisements that stood out in front of restaurants, auto repair shops, and gas stations. One such giant is the famous 24-foot Texaco man, which stood outside of Texaco gas stations in the 1960s.
Auto repair shops began ordering versions holding car parts. The statues became known as “Muffler Men.”
Enter the Uniroyal Women
Uniroyal Tire Company decided to enter the market by requesting that a woman stand outside its tire stores. They were dressed in bikinis and uniforms, reflecting American ideals of the time.
Over the course of a few years, hundreds of “Muffler Men and Uniroyal Women” stood across the United States.
Decline and Rediscovery
By the 1970s, the age of the giants was declining. Neighbors who lived next to the giants would often complain about the giants’ ghastly sight in front of their homes. The 1973 oil crisis also made fiberglass more expensive, and by 1974, International Fiberglass had closed its doors.
Many statues were scrapped or forgotten. Recently, enthusiasts like Joel Baker from the YouTube channel American Giants have begun tracking them down and restoring these statues. Social media has played a major role in the rediscovery of old giants and the creation of new ones. Artists like Mark Cline, who created the new giants in Tulsa, have begun to bring new life to these fiberglass figures.
Economic Impact for Rural Communities along Route 66
As we celebrate the centennial year of Route 66, many rural localities and businesses have either erected new giants or refurbished old ones in the hopes of attracting more travelers to stop and frequent local restaurants and shops. They have become new, but old, treasured roadside attractions.
Since the opening of the American Giants Museum, the city of Atlanta, Ill., has seen a marked increase in travelers stopping and frequenting local businesses.
“In 2024, that was our full-fledged year of operation in this little town of 1,649 people…We had 8,000 people sign the guest registry at the American Giants Museum, said Bill Thomas, curator of the American Giants Museum. “So, for us to bring in seven times our population, that’s been a real economic plus for us. And we are in over 8,000 so far here in 2025.”
Giants Along the Oklahoma Stretch of Route 66
• Big Bill and a Native American giant in Vinita, Okla., are situated next to one another in front of Hi-Way Café, and Western Motel
• Buck Atom, Stella Atom, Cowboy Bob, Meadow Gold Mack, and Rosie the Riveter are located along East 11th Street in Tulsa, Okla. – Nicknamed “The Land of the Giants.”
• Eighteen-foot color cutouts of Giants and a Native American Giant named Mr. Howe in Calumet, Okla.
• Spaceman Giant located in Weatherford, Okla., in front of the Aerospace Museum
New Giants coming to the following locations – Chandler, Okla., and a Dinosaur to Tulsa, Okla.
There is also one in storage in Vinita, Okla., that needs restoration, according to Rhys Martin, president of the OK Route 66 Association.
A Legacy Continued
Today’s travelers stop to photograph these giants and tag them on social media, giving them renewed life. There are YouTube channels dedicated to the discovery and restoration of discarded Muffler men and Uniroyal women. New ones seem to pop up overnight.
In an era when most advertising is done via social media and electronic formats, these giants provide both a traditional and a novel way to generate foot traffic to local businesses in rural communities along Route 66.
These Giants remain on the shoulders of Route 66, watching over America’s historic road, welcoming travelers, as gateways to the past but also pointing toward a hopeful future.
