My favorite gift to give this past holiday season was the Encyclopedia of New Jersey (http://odin.rutgers.edu/njencyclopedia/). I liked giving it so much that I got myself a copy and am enjoying expanding my knowledge of the Garden State, especially South Jersey.
The entry on roadside attractions caught my attention as I am always on the lookout for those items that make you slow down and wish you had your camera. The entry includes a discussion on the "dozens of giant figures looming over the Garden State landscape". Sadly the one near my home was omitted from the listing that does include Miss Uniroyal, Lucy the Elephant, Paul Bunyan (seen in opening credits of the Sopranos), Mr. Bill, and the cowboy at Cowtown. This entry inspired me to do some research on the topic and it turns out there is an entire website dedicated to the location and description of these giant figures, or Muffler Men across the United States.
Here are direct links to the ones in New Jersey and Pennsylvania:
New Jersey Muffler Men:
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/muffler/trackno.html#nj
Pennsylvania Muffler Men:
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/muffler/trackpw.html
Part of the encyclopedia entry is taken from Peter Genovese's book, Roadside New Jersey. Peter Genovese also wrote one of my favorite NJ books, Jersey Diners. I could go on about the glory of the Jersey Diner, but I will save that for another day!
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