How Many Montana Towns Had a Giant Muffler Man?

Marketers have been using clever tools to catch our eyes (then our wallets) for decades. Back in the day, before everyone was glued to smartphones, YouTube, and TV, one unique advertising gimmick targeting travelers was giant fiberglass statues.

Trending: A Charming Montana Bakery is For Sale

Do you know the Muffler Man?

These hulking (and somewhat creepy?), hollow figurines were created by a businessman named Bob Prewitt, writes Route Magazine. The fiberglass manufacturer got his first order for a 20-foot, Paul Bunyan statue in 1961, commissioned for a restaurant along Route 66 in Arizona. He kept the statue mold, just in case, and that was a wise idea. It wasn't long before orders were flying out of the factory.

In an era that was saturated with flashy neon signage, businesses were looking for a way to stick out, and the mighty Muffler Men were hard to miss. Travelers would stop for a photo and - hopefully - purchase whatever the place was selling.

Less than 200 Muffler Men remain.

At one point, cities across the touristy parts of the US likely had at least one Muffler Man. According to Daily Local News, 180 of them remain. There is a small but dedicated group of aficionados who track, catalog, restore, and visit the remaining Muffler Men across America.

One fan group is the Facebook page called American Giants, which happened to show up in my algorithm earlier this week, with a post about one Montana Muffler Man located in Great Falls. It stands tall in the parking lot of Big Johns Casino.

The Great Falls Muffler Man reportedly came from the Tumbleweed Motor Hotel in Jamestown, ND, when it was purchased from a collector in 1999. It's believed to be somewhat of a rarity, because its arms/hands are down at its sides, instead of outstretched like he's holding an axe, tire, gun, or whatever.

Are there other Muffler Men in Montana?

There is a Muffler Man in Billings at L.P. Anderson Tire on Montana Ave. The tire shop purchased its giant fiberglass dude in 1965 for $200 at a tire dealer convention, according to RoadsideAmerica.com.

Get our free mobile app

And what happened to the Muffler Man in Carbon County?

There was a Muffler Man in Rockvale, MT (seen above) for many years. However, the large fiberglass cowboy holding a rifle in his arms is no longer at the Fort Rockvale Restaurant, Bar, and Casino. When we reached out to the establishment, they confirmed that it was sold "about six years ago", reportedly to a buyer in Billings. We have yet to see it pop up anywhere around town.

Wikipedia says there is a Muffler Man in Plentywood, MT. A call to the Plentywood Chamber of Commerce confirmed there is NOT a giant fiberglass man statue in their town. Proof kids, that Wiki may not always be a great source.

Did your town once have a Muffler Man? Are there more Muffler Men standing proudly in some small Montana town we've never been to? I'd love to hear about them. Reach me at michael.foth@townsquaremedia.com or leave a message on our radio station app.