Hut damn! Bradenton, Florida's Quonset hut Uniroyal Gal

Coming across a Uniroyal Gal is like seeing the leading lady from the deliciously awful 1958 sci-fi classic "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman." "Har-ry!..."

When Eccentric Roadside moved our world headquarters from Rhode Island to Bradenton, Florida, little did we know kismet was involved until we discovered there is one of those rarest of rare eccentric roadside attractions right here in town: a Uniroyal Gal, the Muffler Man's sultry female counterpart, created as an eye-catching Jackie Kennedy-esque roadside icon by the International Fiberglass company for Uniroyal back in 1966. There are only 12 or so of these beauties left that are still out in full view and we've been fortunate to have seen three before (click here) in such far-flung places as Blackfoot, Idaho, Blackwood, New Jersey and Unger, West Virginia, but we never dreamed there would be one right on own own home turf. This one is displayed in front of the Edmunds Metal Works Quonset hut. The hut has an imposing hand-painted sign on it that says "Powder Room: Total Custom Powder Coating". Across the way is another building with an old-timey sign that says "Gasoline Alley" on its side. This whole establishment looks like it would make a fine locale for one of those cable-TV shows about outrageous auto customization, with Miss Edmunds (or some other alias) as their fetching heroine. Compared to the other Uniroyal Gals we've seen, Miss Edmunds is rather au natural, with her sun-baked, worn complexion and scruffy, yellow bikini. Perhaps she's due for a make-over...now, there's a cable TV series we'd watch: "Uniroyal Gal Makeover." Of course, though, we know she's beautiful on the inside and that's what really counts.

Jersey Girl: The former Miss Uniroyal of Blackwood, New Jersey

Nitro Girl stands in front of Werbany Tire Town, luring in tire customers in with her sex appeal.

 She holds a real car tire and has a harness for back support.

Baby got back.

 Nitro Girl was our third Uniroyal gal spotting. The first was Martha of Martha's Cafe in Blackfoot, Idaho...

 ...and the second was the gloriously restored biker chick of the Farnham Colossi of Unger, West Virginia.

New Jersey and Muffler Men go together like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band, and that includes their female counterpart, the Uniroyal Gal. Named for the tire brand they represented back in the '60s, the gals are a rare find for the eccentric roadside attraction fan. Roadsideamerica.com, the electronic bible of all things Muffler, reports that there are only about 10 or so of these gals still out in public view, so it was worth a trip to Blackwood, New Jersey to see Nitro Girl, the mascot of Werbany Tire Town. She's decked out in a superhero-like blouse and skirt with a flying W logo on her chest and stars on her skirt, go-go boots and flip hair-do. Had we been at Werbany's during normal business hours (and not on a Sunday morning), we might have been able to obtain a Nitro Girl bobblehead doll, as some other patrons have. Alas, we'll have to make do with our memories, for this was a Nitro to remember.

Outstanding in their field: The Farnham Colossi of Unger, West Virginia

Left to right: Brian the beach dude, the Uniroyal Gal, George Farnham, the Midas Muffler Man, and Big John

 The Mount Rushmore of Roadside giants

Doh!  The Farnhams have a complete kiddie roller coaster track, complete with the Simpsons. 

The greater metroploitan Unger area, what the Colossi are so intently staring out at.

If ever there was a place that should be included on an eccentric roadside attraction fan's bucket list, the Farnham Colossi of Unger, West Virginia would certainly place very high. There, you'll find countless (well, I suppose you could count them) Muffler Man-type statues keeping watch over numerous other, more diminutive roadside whimsical characters that roam the property of George and Pam Farnham, collectors par excellence of eccentric over-sized roadabilia. Their collection began with one Muffler Man bought on e-bay, and, well, you know how it is when you have a hobby...sometimes you just can't help yourself. So now their yard in zoning-free rural West Virginny is a paradise of roadside giants. It's not the easiest place to get to and not exactly on the way to anywhere ("Honey, I'm going to the Colossi...you need anything?"), but that makes it all the more meaningful when you arrive. Buddhists have Bodh Gaya, Muslims have Mecca, and we roadside kooks have Unger. This is private property, though, so it was with great caution and respect that I tiptoed around the driveway upon arrival. Luckily for me, George came out and we chatted for a few minutes and he gave me the all-clear to explore the yard. I asked if there was a Holy Grail of highway titans he was seeking and he said he already had it. An ultra-rare Uniroyal Gal was acquired with help from the roadside gurus at Roadsideamerica.com, and George says he spent "way too much" restoring it with automobile fiberglass paint that is "guaranteed to last until the day you die".  And she is stunning, let me tell you. The definitive story of the Farnhams is here on the indispensible Roadsideamerica.com. 

Here's to the Farnhams and Roadsideamerica.com for flying that freak roadside attraction flag high and proud and getting us to boldly go where no eccentric roadside attraction fan has gone before. Let's give them all a great big hand.

Martha My Dear: Blackfoot, Idaho's former Uniroyal Gal

You better not tick Martha off, or there could be hell to pay!

Back in 2006 while we were cruising down State Highway 91 on our way to the Idaho Potato Expo, the beloved roadside icon seen on the masthead of this blog, we had an unexpected delight: a giant female fiberglass statue beckoning drivers-by to stop at Martha's Cafe for some (no doubt) delicious eats. She's stupendous! She's colossal! She's got a big wristwatch! Not realizing it at the time, we had stumbled quite accidentally across what some eccentric roadside denizens consider the holy grail of highway kitsch attractions: a Uniroyal Gal — leggy amazons created in the 1960's by the Uniroyal Tire Company as advertising gimmicks and considered sisters to the more plentiful highway Muffler Men. Only a dozen or so remain today, it is reported, most of which have been made over to better represent their new owners after Uniroyal discarded them. Martha went from being a tire gal to a waitress and from a brunette to a blond. The definitive place to learn more about these awesome creatures, RoadsideAmerica.com, reports that Martha has been temporarily taken down for repairs and a makeover and should be back up before the end of summer 2011. Let's hope they don't make her over too much because she's one groovy chick, baby. The original Gals were said to be have been inspired by Jackie Kennedy, so ask not what your amazon advertising icon can do for you, ask what you can do for your amazon advertising icon.