Midwestern Tornado Destroys 4 World's Largest Objects

From America's Finest News Source, The Onion

Midwestern Tornado Destroys 4 World's Largest Objects

SAC CITY, IA—A category F4 tornado ravaged large sections of Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin Sunday, killing 15 people and irreparably damaging four of the world's largest novelty objects, including a prized 150-foot fiberglass muskie and a two-ton bail of hay in Minnesota. "It's horrifying, there are three-foot wide pieces of popcorn ball everywhere," said Midwesterner Emily Roberts, whose garage was leveled when powerful winds dropped Sac City, IA's record-breaking confection onto its roof. "That damn popcorn ball used to be the pride of our city. It's so senseless." Even as volunteers worked tirelessly to clean up debris from the World's Largest Ball of Yarn in Rockford, IL, the city's mayor had already invited Guinness World Records officials to oversee the dedication of the World's Largest Knot.

Connecticut Big Stuff Map

There really isn't much in Connecticut to stop and look upward at. They have 1 and a half Muffler Men (assuming that either the torso didn't return or the pants didn't disappear) a private dinosaur haven, a car wash with tons of vintage and kitschy stuff, including a giant Santa, and some large frogs on a bridge.


Photo by fzzygalore.

The Wells Dinosaur Haven is a dinosaur sculpture garden, of sorts, on private property. There are over 35 hand built dinosaur sculptures in a wooded setting. It appears to be open to the public as long as you ask permission first.

Map of Rhode Island Big Stuff

I decided to knock out a couple easy maps and what better place to start than the smallest state in the Union, Rhode Island. There isn't much for big stuff in Rhode Island, but they have made a huge contribution to the big stuff community. Rhode Island is home to Nibbles Woodaway, the World's Largest Termite. In fact, he is the world's largest bug.


Photo by stgermh.

Here's another angle of Nibbles.

Nibbles stands on top of New England Pest Control. You can find out more about him at their website, BlueBug.com.

Providence is home to Hasbro, the toy company who makes Mr. Potato Head. To honor the iconic toy line, a mass community arts project was launched where 37 oversized Potato Heads were distributed and customized by local artists and companies. At least a few are still around. Here is an article about it.

World's Largest Art Tractor

March 20th, 2008 - New York Mills, MN



This was our last stop on this trip. This giant tractor is located on the north side of Highway 10 in New York Mills at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center Sculpture Park. The tractor was created by Ken Nyberg out of welded steel. Nyberg has a number of other sculptures in central Minnesota, most notably at the Vining Sculpture Park. The tractor is also the logo for the Cultural Center.


Nyberg signed this piece with his welder.

New York Mills is a unique town. It's a small farming community in central Minnesota, but is very close to the many lakes of Ottertail County. New York Mills puts a high value on art and culture, lead by the Regional Cultural Center. It's claim to fame is the Great American Think-Off. The Think-Off is open to anyone and everyone and is now in it's 16th year. Contestants submit an essay on the topic for the year and a panel selects four finalists. The finalists debate the topic in New York Mills and the audience votes to decide the winner, or "America's Greatest Thinker". Past finalists have included teachers, priests, retirees, a 15 year old cheerleader, writers, and others from many states. This year's topic is “Does immigration strengthen or threaten the United States?” The final debate will be June 14th.

Giant Ice Cream Cone

March 20th, 2008 - Wadena, MN

Day 2 of our trip didn't get off to a great start. It was a little colder and windier than the previous day and we were having trouble finding a 14-foot tall ice cream cone. According to a book, there should have been a 14-foot tall ice cream cone in front of Down Home Foods in Wadena. We eventually found Down Home Foods after a few trips up and down Jefferson Street, but there was no ice cream cone. The internet tells me that the ice cream cone is abandoned behind a KFC. I trusted the book. This doesn't look good for you, books, especially after the blacksmith thing. It looks like the internet beat you again. And people keep saying I should read books. (Although, had I noticed the internet and the book differed, I would have checked both.)


Photo from Roadside Architecture

The internet also provided me a picture. It's kind of a sad looking cone, like the concrete ice cream has been melting slowly for years. We aren't too concerned about missing this one. In the grand scheme of Big Stuff, this is just a tiny blip. If we find ourselves in Wadena again, we will probably try to find it again.

Aitkin Blacksmith Update

According to anglerove, the blacksmith is alive and well and is now inside the new Aitkin Iron Works building. He is unsure of the blacksmith's availability for photos, however. For just a little more background, see my previous post on the subject.

Thanks again, anglerove.

Paul Bunyan Bowl

March 19th, 2008 - Baxter, MN



This was our last stop on this long, wonderful day of Big Stuff that began with a stop in Princeton to see a Happy Chef that has found a new gig. This Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox stand outside of Paul Bunyan Bowl in Baxter, MN. The bowling alley is owned by the same family that used to own the Paul Bunyan Amusement Center, which closed in 2003, but much of it remains in use.



This Paul is a Muffler Man. The defining characteristic of a Muffler Man are the hands, with the right palm up and the left palm down. This type of Muffler Man is usually referred to as a Bunyan or Lumberjack Muffler Man. This Paul was previously in Sullivan, MO, where he clutched an ax. It was purchased, restored, and moved to Baxter sometime in 2003 or 2004 and now holds a bowling ball in his right hand. He also sports a lovely pair of Nike boots. I had no idea Nike made boots, especially in that size. He must have had to special order them. Babe looks to be munching on bowling pins.



Tip: Keep Babe away from your bowling pins.