BIG STATUES (series)

Statues of Liberty

Original Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island (New York Harbor): statue 151 feet (305 feet including pedestal)


The statue was built in Paris (France) and given to the US in 1886 to commemorate 100 years of American independence and the friendship between the two nations. The copper-clad statue was then broken down into 350 pieces and shipped over. The tablet in her hands reads JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776). The original torch was modified in 1916 with glass windows to function as a lighthouse, but this led to water damage. The current torch is covered in 15 ounces of gold leaf and was installed in 1986.

----- There are hundreds of replicas worldwide -----

Half-scale replica in Las Vegas (Nevada): 150 feet


Completed in 1997, the statue stands outside of the New York-New York Hotel & Casino The torch was designed after the 1916 one with amber glass windows. It is lit at night.

Quarter-scale replica in Paris (France): 37 feet


The bronze copy stands near the Eiffel Tower on the Ile des Cygnes (or Isle of the Swans, a man-made island in the Seine River). It was given to France by US citizens living in Paris in 1889 to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution. Originally, it faced the Eiffel Tower, but in 1937, it was turned west to face its "sister" in New York. Its tablet bears two dates: IV JUILLET 1776 (4 July 1776) and XIV JUILLET 1789 (14 July 1789, the storming of the Bastille).

Little Sisters of Liberty by the Boy Scouts of America

Between 1949 - 1952, the Boy Scouts donated 200 replica statues to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Made of copper, they were 8.5 feet tall and weighed 300 pounds.


On Mackinac Island (Michigan) at dedication and in 2015 .... On the capitol grounds at Topeka (Kansas), dedicated in 1950

Others


On Balboa Island (California)

DINO, the Sinclair dinosaur

Sinclair first had the idea to use dinosaurs as part of their marketing campaigns back in 1930 since the lubricants they were promoting were refined from crude oil believed to have formed back during the age of the thunder lizards. The original idea included many different dinosaurs but it was the Brontosaurus that became the country's favorite. In 1932, DINO (pronounced DYE-NO) became a registered trademark.

But isn't the Brontosaurus actually an Apatosaurus? Since dinosaur fossils are rare, it's not always easy to study and classify them. The debate as to whether they are the same or different species has been going on since 1903.

Fiberglass DINOs began appearing at Sinclair stations in the early 1960s.... so keep an eye out for them! They are especially popular in Utah.

Big Boy

Big Boy is a casual dining restaurant chain which began in 1936 when Bob Wian opened his first hamburger stand in Glendale, California called Bob's Pantry. He quickly became famous for his special double-decker hamburger, known as the Big Boy. In the 1940s, Wian expanded. The new franchisees were allowed to use the Big Boy brand along with their own name. As such, there are now Bob's Big Boys, Frisch's Big Boys, Shoney's Big Boys, and more.


In Burbank, Calfornia


In Tawas, Michigan ... The evolution of the Big Boy mascot

Bigfoot


These bronze Bigfoot statues could be found all over Michigan (including Tawas, Sault St. Marie and Munising above). The large, muscular, hairy, ape-like creature is known by many names... Sasquatch (meaning wild man, in the Pacific Northwest), Bigfoot (Northern California) or the Dewey Lake Monster (Michigan).... which was allegedly seen by local residents in 1964 in southwest Michigan.