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Miss Cellania
10 Big Uncle Sams
by Miss Cellania - July 3, 2008 - 5:19 AM
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The USA’s Uncle Sam is a big man. He’s almost always depicted as larger than life. And you’ll find him all over the country!

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The Magic Forest amusement park in Lake George, New York displays what they call The World’s Largest Uncle Sam in the parking lot. He’s 38 feet tall, which is not the tallest, but he is pretty big.

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There was once a chain of restaurants in Toledo, Ohio named Uncle Sam’s. The business died out, but not before three huge Uncle Sams were commissioned and built. Two of these have since left Ohio. A 42-feet-tall Uncle Sam stands in front of 23 Fuel Stop in Ottawa Lake, Michigan, where he beckons patrons to come inside and buy fireworks.

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Another of the Toledo Sams was sold on eBay and went Hatch, New Mexico in 2006. The owner said he was going to place the statue in front of a business, but two years later, he’s still flat on his back.

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Maybe you didn’t know that the character of Uncle Sam is based on a real person. Samuel Wilson was a Troy, New York meat packer who supplied food to the military during the War of 1812. The barrels of meat were labeled U.S, which was referred to as Uncle Sam. The Uncle Sam Memorial Statue stands in Arlington, Massachusetts, Wilson’s birthplace. The 15-foot memorial features a statue modeled after Wilson and a relief depicting the popular image of Uncle Sam with a beard and tall hat. (image credit: Daderot)

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Troy, New York is proud to be known as the Home of Uncle Sam. This statue of of Samuel Wilson stands at the corner of River St. and 3rd St. in downtown Troy. There is also a memorial at Wilson’s grave in Troy’s Oakwood Cemetary. (image credit: anneelizabethmoore)

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This statue, made of fiberglass, stands over the Great American Car Wash in Terre Haute, Indiana.

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To properly celebrate patriotic occasions, you can’t beat a live giant Uncle Sam. Frank Jeffreys of Raleigh, North Carolina is a clown, mime, juggler, and stiltwalker who performs as Uncle Sam in stilts. This puts him heads and shoulders above the crowd. And most of the rest of his body, too!

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Uncle Sam has made many appearances at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. This balloon by Aerostar was photographed in 2004.

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Cameron, of the Corn Palace Balloon Club, built the Uncle Sam hot air balloon in 1985. Fully inflated, it’s nearly 90 feet tall! (image credit: Ron Behrmann)

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Suppliers all over the US will rent or sell a giant inflatable Uncle Sam to promote anything at all. This Uncle Sam was spotted selling used cars. Keep your eyes out this holiday weekend, and you might see a giant Uncle Sam where you live!


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Comments (4)
  1. While not large in physical stature, the ubiquitous Grateful Dead skeleton is commonly known as “Uncle Sam,” his name being derive from his appearance in the Grateful Dead Movie while the song U.S. Blues is playing:

    “Red and white
    Blue suede shoes
    I’m Uncle Sam
    How do you do”

  2. There’s not that many giant Uncle Sams around Texas — but there is the giant Sam Houston statue, on I-45 outside of Huntsville. It’s 67 feet tall, but it’s not the tallest statue in Texas – that honor goes to the giraffe statue outside of the Dallas Zoo (and it’s only taller because it’s sticking its tongue out).

  3. Dan Rice was a model for Uncle Sam. More popular than Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain, Rice was one of the first true national celebrities. He coined many popular phases including “jump on the bandwagon” during Zachary Taylor’s presidential campaign (referring to his circus bandwagon). He was a clown, political commentator, actor and director who ran for President in 1868.

    His clown costume consisted of red-, white- and blue-striped tights, a star-spangled cloak, a top hat and white beard. Sounds like Uncle Sam to me.

  4. Fun pictures. I remember seeing Uncle Sam as larger than life walking along on stilts when I was a child. I believe it was at a parade and he scared me. LOL.

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