Stacy Conradt
The Quick 10: 10 Photo-Op Statues
by Stacy Conradt - December 15, 2009 - 4:48 PM

q10

With the holidays here, I bet lots of you are planning on traveling (we are). I love nothing more than to break up a road trip with ridiculous little stops, much to the chagrin of my car companions. They grumble, but they secretly love me for it (I hope). If you’re looking to break up a long car ride on your way to grandma’s house in the upcoming weeks, here are 10 giant statues that exist just for your photo ops (OK… and sometimes to honor the person depicted in the statue. Whatever).

1. The Jolly Green Giant – Blue Earth, Minnesota. He’s 55 feet tall, cost $43,000 to make, and attracts 10,000 visitors a year. You could be one of those visitors! If you hurry, you might catch him in his holiday attire – a giant red scarf. I’d be more worried about keeping those scantily-clad green legs warm, but that’s just me. I guess snowpants might look silly on the Jolly Green Giant.

superman2. Superman – Metropolis, Illinois. As the home of Superman, it’s not surprising that a building-sized statue of Clark Kent’s other half dominates the town square. I’ve actually been to this one – that’s my husband snapping the picture.
3. Paul Bunyan – Minnesota. Or Bangor, Maine. Or Flagstaff, Arizona. Or Manistique, Michigan. Apparently there aren’t a lot of states without a Paul Bunyan statue.
4. Jesus – Eureka Springs, Arkansas. “The United States’ Tallest Uncrucified Christ,” if we’re being specific. It’s more than 67 feet tall, and a lot of people don’t really care for it, calling it “Gumby Jesus” and “Our Milk Carton With Arms.”

lincoln5. Abraham Lincoln – Ashmore, Illinois. If you’re in Illinois with time to kill and just haven’t satisfied your giant statue urge, head three hours north and visit the World’s Largest (and possibly Ugliest) Lincoln statue. I’d like to disagree, but it’s pretty darn ugly. Picture by Ken Lang via Roadside America.
6. Alabama – Fort Payne, Alabama. Three of the members of the band Alabama are from Fort Payne, so live-sized statues of the once-popular country group almost make sense.

goldwater7. Barry Goldwater – Paradise Valley, Arizona. If you’ve always dreamed of having your picture taken with a nine-foot statue of Senator Barry Goldwater, all you have to do is go to Paradise Valley, Arizona, to realize your life-long goal. Goldwater retired to Paradise Valley after serving three decades in the Senate (and serving as the Republican candidate for President in 1964).
8. The Virgin Mary – New Castle, Delaware. Oil stain Mary? Toast Mary? Forget it – this one is made of more than four tons of stainless steel and stands 34 feet tall.
9. James Brown – Augusta, Georgia. A life-sized statue of the Godfather of Soul can be found in the town where Brown grew up.

fonz10. The Fonz – Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This statue goes a step further – it’s not just bronze, it’s colored bronze, so you can spot the Fonz’ unnaturally blue denim from a mile away. He can be spotted giving his famous thumbs up along Milwaukee’s RiverWalk. Again, that’s Paul with Mr. Fonzarelli. I don’t pose for pictures, really, so he’s always my guinea pig. The statue looks pretty little, but Henry Winkler is only 5’6” in real life.
11. Mary Tyler Moore – Minneapolis, Minnesota. OK, this obviously makes 11, but I felt bad including the Fonz and not MTM. In the opening credits of her namesake sitcom, Mare tosses her hat triumphantly in the air. This statue at the Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis recreates that moment.

I know there are tons more to add to the list – I went with specific characters as opposed to vague Muffler Men just for the sake of the Quick 10. If you have giant statue in your hometown that you think people need to know about, be sure to tell us in the comments. And if you end up stopping at any of these during your holiday travels, send us a picture! I bet we could make a pretty entertaining photo gallery.

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Comments (52)

  1. I used to live in Blue Earth (#1). The green giant statue is kind of cool, but don’t go out of your way to see it.

    I remember going to see the Paul Bunyan statue (in Minnesota) when I was a kid, all I remember is that is was really big and really cool!

    posted by Suz on 12-15-2009 at 4:57 pm

  2. how could you forget The Big Peanut” in Plains,Ga?

    http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/roadside-statues-001.jpg

    posted by Meg from Ga on 12-15-2009 at 5:01 pm

  3. I stopped to see Superman… I thought the coolest part was they had telephone booth… just seeing a telephone booth again was really cool!

    posted by Marty on 12-15-2009 at 5:09 pm

  4. At Trinity Heights in Sioux City, Iowa, there’s a giant Jesus statue and a giant Mary statue amid the lovely grounds of paths, shrines, and monuments. Inside one of the buildings is a larger-than-life wood carving of the Last Supper.

    posted by meg on 12-15-2009 at 5:17 pm

  5. Riverside Iowa has a statue to honor the future birth of James Tiberius Kirk.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Riverside_Enterprise_Replica.jpg

    posted by Clark on 12-15-2009 at 5:17 pm

  6. We have an Enterprise statue up here in Canada, as well. In Vulcan, Alberta, appropriately.

    posted by Colin on 12-15-2009 at 5:25 pm

  7. You can pose with popeye the sailor at E C Segars home town of chester illinois

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester,_Illinois#Home_of_.22Popeye.22

    posted by Tim on 12-15-2009 at 5:39 pm

  8. Don’t forget The King of Kings statue in Ohio, or “Touchdown Jesus” as it is known to football fans.

    posted by Dominique on 12-15-2009 at 5:45 pm

  9. Rocky statue. Base of the steps from the film. Philadelphia Museum of Art.

    posted by Stan on 12-15-2009 at 5:51 pm

  10. I’ve met Henry Winkler and that statue looks about right. And for the record, he’s as cool in real life as the Fonz was. AYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!

    posted by Ken on 12-15-2009 at 5:52 pm

  11. Huntsville, TX has a 67ft. statue of Sam Houston…

    posted by Josh on 12-15-2009 at 6:19 pm

  12. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/19939

    C’mon! Ok, so it’s not exactly a statue, but still pretty awesome! Especially when it completely unexpectedly shows up on the horizon! (which happened to me last month on a mini vacay – I’m from SD and never knew this even existed!) much to my surprise! :)

    @meg: I’ve been to the Trinity Heights! :) I live in just north of Sioux City! They’re pretty neat!

    posted by Drina on 12-15-2009 at 6:24 pm

  13. so i suppose this was only US locations?

    Dublin, Ireland has Phil Lynott and Molly Malone

    and the omission of Rocky is glaring

    posted by jason on 12-15-2009 at 6:26 pm

  14. Dominique, the REAL Touchdown Jesus is the mural on the Hesburgh Library at Notre Dame.

    recaptcha: Pennsylvania junkies

    posted by Cait on 12-15-2009 at 6:27 pm

  15. Here in Smithville Texas we have a giant statue of a gingerbread man. It was erected when we set the Guiness World Record for Worlds largest Gingerbread man.

    posted by JOHN THE THIRD on 12-15-2009 at 6:37 pm

  16. I couldn’t find any pictures but I am pretty sure there are various statues of the Peanuts characters around the grounds at the Charles M Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA:

    http://www.schulzmuseum.org/

    posted by Sarah in CA on 12-15-2009 at 7:00 pm

  17. Ramona and Henry and a bunch of other Beverly Cleary character statues are in a park in portland, oregon

    posted by Randy on 12-15-2009 at 7:46 pm

  18. I’ve seen this while in DC many times…

    http://dcmemorials.com/index_indiv0001120.htm

    ReCaptcha: Argonauts vituals

    posted by Chris on 12-15-2009 at 9:22 pm

  19. Massachusetts has a couple of great life size statues. On Route 2 in Western Mass is a statue of a Mohawk Indian. Hail to the Sunrise

    In Springfield (the home of Dr. Suess) is a larger than life statue of him at his drawing board with several characters Cat in the hat

    Salem was gifted with a statue o Elizabeth Montgomery from Bewtiched

    posted by fibrowitch on 12-15-2009 at 9:46 pm

  20. Albert the Bull in Audubon, Iowa. Last time I was there, Albert was completely anatomically correct and you could walk UNDER his…ah…”parts”.

    posted by Larry in BG on 12-15-2009 at 10:09 pm

  21. There’s a great statue of the Blues Brothers in the Chicago airport.

    posted by Kate on 12-15-2009 at 10:38 pm

  22. The Rocky statue at the base of the Art Museum in Philly of course!

    posted by Ashley on 12-15-2009 at 10:52 pm

  23. good one is big butter jesus in ohio

    posted by aaron on 12-16-2009 at 1:43 am

  24. The statue of Vulcan in Birmingham, Alabama. I thought you would have that one since either one of your founders is from Birmingham or one of your offices is located there.

    posted by Robert on 12-16-2009 at 3:02 am

  25. If you are in the Atlanta area, chances are you will be given directions according to a locations proximity to the Big Chicken. :)

    posted by yasulh on 12-16-2009 at 5:37 am

  26. Just north of Toledo, OH (the actual location is in Michigan) there is a giant Uncle Sam off of US 23. I think it is used to draw attention to the fireworks store there.

    posted by Jeff on 12-16-2009 at 7:30 am

  27. In Macon, GA (where he was from) there is a life-size statue of Otis Redding. It is located in a park by the Ocmulgee River by the Otis Redding Memorial Bridge. (Sorry, we don’t have “Docks by the Bays” in middle Georgia so this had to suffice.)

    posted by Phrank Loyed on 12-16-2009 at 8:46 am

  28. For music lovers, there’s a statue of Stevie Ray Vaughan in Austin, TX.

    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k0nUpzg8-KY/R_AMoMAO0yI/AAAAAAAAAFU/so_hMwbyH6U/s1600-h/srv.jpg

    posted by Mark on 12-16-2009 at 8:46 am

  29. The statue of Abe Lincoln was moved to Ashmore when I was 10. It was pretty freaky to see Abe go through town on a flatbed, in pieces. I seem to remember his head being detached and turned sideways, which creeped me out. And if you think Abe is ugly in that pic, you should have seen him before his 2002 restoration. His nose was gone, the finger that is up in the air was missing, and he looked pretty dull. I’m glad the folks who bought the place cleaned him up.

    posted by Jamie on 12-16-2009 at 8:55 am

  30. http://www.texasheroes.net/Sam%20Houston%20Statue.htm
    The Sam Houston statue is scary when you are driving down the highway and don’t expect to see it right there.

    posted by Melissa on 12-16-2009 at 8:56 am

  31. Its sad that I live in Texas and do not know about some of these statues. Especially that gingerbread man one. I’ll have to take a road trip. There are random president head statues in Houston.

    posted by Chelsea G. on 12-16-2009 at 9:40 am

  32. The Barry Goldwater statue looks curiously like Kelsey Grammer…

    posted by Melissa on 12-16-2009 at 10:05 am

  33. I remember reading a couple of years ago that the Rocky statue in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art had been removed. Maybe that’s why it isn’t listed.

    posted by Bert on 12-16-2009 at 10:50 am

  34. There is a giant statue of Nipper the RCA Victor dog ontop of a building in Albany, Ny

    posted by Matt on 12-16-2009 at 11:02 am

  35. The Joe Paterno statue in University Park, Pa.

    The Fremont Troll in Seattle – http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2236

    posted by yogahz on 12-16-2009 at 11:24 am

  36. There is an Abraham Lincoln statue that is larger than life (though not as large as the one pictured in #5) on the Ripon College campus in Ripon, WI – the birthplace of the Republican Party.

    posted by Daphne on 12-16-2009 at 11:24 am

  37. There are a bunch of giant animal & fish statues. Hit the link and it will take you to giant fis. If you scroll to the bottom you’ll find links to other critter statues.
    http://www.agilitynut.com/critters/fish.html

    posted by Alan on 12-16-2009 at 11:29 am

  38. Don’t forget another Minnesota institution – Big Ole the Viking. At 28 feet tall he towers over all the life-size statues mentioned!
    http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/19491

    posted by Julie on 12-16-2009 at 12:08 pm

  39. There’s a big statue of Lenin in Fremont, a neighborhood of Seattle (self-described as “The Center of the Universe”)

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Lenin_%28Seattle%29

    posted by Mark on 12-16-2009 at 12:26 pm

  40. We have a very large statue of Christopher Columbus here in well…..Columbus, OH. It was a gift from the City of Genoa, Italy (a sister city) in 1955. It sits right in front of city hall and is pretty good size.

    posted by JW on 12-16-2009 at 12:39 pm

  41. In Montgomry, AL, they have a statue of

    William Shakespear in one of the

    buildings at the (Where else?) Alabama

    Shakespear Festival.

    posted by Sara in AL on 12-16-2009 at 1:15 pm

  42. In Spokane, WA we have a giant Radio Flyer red wagon (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/1963).

    posted by MW on 12-16-2009 at 1:31 pm

  43. The world’s largest muskie is in hayward, wi.

    http://www.wlra.us/wl/wlmuskie.htm

    posted by Nancy Pants on 12-16-2009 at 1:38 pm

  44. Crystal City Texas, a spinach growing area has a statue of Popeye in the town sqyare.

    posted by Tex on 12-16-2009 at 1:57 pm

  45. I think there are maybe 8 Bunyans in Michigan. It’s my goal to see them all before 2011.

    posted by Mae on 12-16-2009 at 11:04 pm

  46. Can’t forget the Serpent Lake Serpent in MN.

    posted by Ken Zieger on 12-16-2009 at 11:05 pm

  47. The statue in Flagstaff Arizona is not Paul Bunyan. He’s Louie the Lumberjack, the mascot of Northern Arizona University.

    posted by Kosmo on 12-17-2009 at 2:00 pm

  48. You can read about all of these ludicrous statues on http://www.roadsideamerica.com
    Several thousand listed with photos and locations for road tripping.

    posted by Merman on 12-17-2009 at 7:47 pm

  49. Winslow, Arizona – There’s a statue of a guy standing on a corner…..

    posted by Swampy on 12-19-2009 at 9:42 am

  50. As a Sarah in CA mentioned, there are tons of Snoopy statues through out Santa Rosa. They have books that list the location and picture of each statue. Each statue has a unique design. The museum itself has several statues but you can also see Snoopy in downtown and other random spots.

    posted by Gina on 12-20-2009 at 11:59 pm

  51. The Einstein statue in Washington DC.
    http://www.film.dc.gov/film/lib/film/einstein.jpg

    posted by Meg on 1-8-2010 at 10:25 am

  52. or the man with umbella in Portland, OR

    http://www.isupportuoregon.org/images/public/blog_images/F68BE186-1D09-3519-ADA04ACE466692BE.jpg

    posted by Meg on 1-8-2010 at 10:26 am

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