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On Sunday, May 24, American Giants
Museum welcomed two new giants to their exhibits.
The American Giants Museum, which looks like an old Texaco gas
station, was designed and developed as a partnership between
American Giants founder Joel Baker and the Atlanta Betterment Fund.
In October 2025, Lee Woods of Giants Garage in Hot Spring, Arkansas
purchased the museum from the Atlanta Betterment Fund and added new
exhibits.
As people waited for the giants to arrive, American Giants founder
Joel Baker shared backstories of the four giants already there,
which included Snerd, the Viking, the Phillips 66 Cowboy and the
Texaco Big Friend displayed outside the museum.
Snerd was the first giant to be installed outside the museum in
2023, followed by the Texaco Big Friend in 2024 and the Phillips 66
Cowboy and Viking Giant in 2025.
The ReGiant restoration crew brought the two new giants from
Southern Illinois after working all night on their final touches.
Around 1 p.m., the ReGiant crew’s
truck arrived pulling a flatbed trailer carrying the Bemidji Brave
giant and the Astro Oil spaceman giant. The crew bolted a feather to
the Bemidji Brave giant’s head before driving the giants over to the
area where they would be installed. Several took photos of the
giants while they were still on the trailer.
Before the two giants could be installed on their pedestals, the
Viking giant was moved to the pedestal furthest from the museum.
Because the Viking giant was a bit smaller than Snerd and the
Phillips 66 Cowboy, he was a bit hard to see in his original spot.
Next, the ReGiant crew hooked the
Bemidji Brave to the large crane, which lifted it off the trailer
and moved it over to the pedestal closest to the museum. Once the
giant was in place, the crew unclipped it from the crane and
anchored it to the pedestal.
Before hooking the Astro Oil
spaceman to the crane, the crew had to remove the metal pieces over
it that had separated the two giants. They next bolted on his arms
and attached a sign reading Astro Oil Co. to the giant’s hands. When
the giant was finally in the right spot on the pedestal, the crew
anchored it. This giant is on the middle pedestal between Snerd and
Phillip’s 66 Cowboy.
Some background on the new giants
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The original Astro Oil spaceman
Giant was made by International Fiberglass for the Astro Oil
Company, which Baker said was in Los Angeles. At some point, the
original was destroyed. This spaceman is a replica of it.
For over sixty years, the Bemidji Brave Giant had stood outside
Chippewa Trading Post in Bemidji, Minnesota. Mike Curtis, who
talks about some of the giants on 2lanetraveler series on
YouTube, said the giant was across the road from Paul Bunyan and
Babe the Blue Ox. This giant is the original one and has been
cleaned up but kept its original look as much as possible.
New exhibits inside the museum
include a large Shoney’s Big Boy, a man atop a horse, a large
chicken and a bull. Items that have been there are a smaller version
of Shoney’s Big Boy, a Uniroyal Gal Head, the Traffic Stopper and
the A & W Root beer mama and baby. Outside the museum is a
Frankenstein head and an old car.
The new Route 66 shop just down the
street from the museum has displays that include the Pep Boys, the
Esso Tiger and a Fisk Tires baby, The shop sells Route 66
merchandise, candy, and sodas.
With the two new giants, there are
now six giants outside the museum, making it the largest single
collection of giants along Route 66. Since Route 66 is 100 years old
this year, it is likely many people will include the American Giants
Museum on their stops.
American Giants Museum photo slideshow
The Bemidji
Brave and Astro Oil Spacement arrive at the American Giants Museum
in Atlanta, IL video
The Bemidji Brave is
installed at the American Giants Museum in Atlanta, IL
Astro Oil Spaceman is
installed at the American Giants Museum in Atlanta, IL
[Angela Reiners]
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