A reader, Maj. Nelson, alerted me to this: A man is selling on eBay a Muffler Man that claims ties to Route 66.
If you’re in the dark, the Muffler Man is a 30-foot-tall fiberglass figure used to help draw attention to businesses. Many of these giants have their forearms out at an angle to hold objects. Many held mufflers for auto shops, which is why they’re named Muffler Men. An exhaustive history and guide can be read here at Roadside America.
There’s little doubt the eBay Muffler Man in question is the real article. The seller’s description says it was built by International Fiberglass, which indeed is the original manufacturer. Besides, who the heck would try to build a 30-foot fiberglass counterfeit? Based on the seller’s photos, the figure is one of the Happy Half-Wit models.
Whether it came from Route 66 is debatable. Roadside America reports that many of the Half-Wit models were clustered in New Jersey and the Route 66 state of Texas. So it’s possible. It seems unlikely that this particular model was lugged all the way to the seller’s home base of Pennsylvania. Possible, but unlikely.
Starting price is $10,000.
Sorry, I just don’t have $10,000 lying around. Besides, my subdivision association might even have some ordinance saying I couldn’t put it up. It would be great if some Rt 66 business would buy it.