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The remarkable story behind Steve Dashew, the Muffler Men and one of the most unlikely chapters in American advertising

Long before Steve Dashew became known for designing some of the world’s most capable offshore cruising yachts, he was solving a very different problem.

It wasn’t about heavy weather, passagemaking or offshore design. It was simply about surviving the winter.

In the early 1960s, Steve was running a small boatbuilding business in California. Like many seasonal businesses, work slowed dramatically once summer ended. Rather than accepting months of quiet, he began searching for something that would keep his small team employed through the winter.

That search led to a tiny classified advert in the Los Angeles Times.

It was advertising the sale of a small fibreglass display business complete with a handful of moulds, including a giant Paul Bunyan figure.

Steve bought it.

As he recalls in the latest episode of the Dashew Talking Books, “This started like most things we’ve been involved with… we never intended it to be in the display business.”

A Giant Opportunity

At first, the business was little more than a winter sideline.

The moulds produced oversized fibreglass figures that could be assembled, painted and installed outside businesses. They were eye-catching, unusual and unlike almost anything motorists had seen before.

Then everything changed.

One of the first Paul Bunyan figures was installed outside a service station in Las Vegas. Almost overnight, fuel sales reportedly doubled.

The success attracted attention throughout the petroleum industry, eventually leading to enquiries from some of America’s largest companies.

For a young entrepreneur in his early twenties, it was an extraordinary opportunity.

“I had no fear,” Steve says. “I didn’t know what you couldn’t do.”

Armed with little more than presentation boards, confidence and an idea that clearly worked, he found himself pitching directly to senior marketing executives at Texaco, Phillips 66, Sinclair and Uniroyal.

The Birth of the Muffler Men

As demand grew, so did the range of characters.

The original Paul Bunyan evolved into cowboys, Native American figures, pirates, restaurant mascots and service station attendants.

There were giant dinosaurs, oversized animals and eventually the famous Uniroyal Gal, created for the tyre manufacturer’s nationwide advertising campaign.

Many of the figures shared the same basic mould, cleverly adapted with different heads, clothing and accessories to suit each customer.

Today they are collectively known as the Muffler Men, towering roadside figures that became synonymous with American highways during the 1960s and early 1970s.

At the time, however, they were simply innovative advertising.

Businesses wanted something motorists couldn’t ignore.

Steve’s giants delivered exactly that.

Bigger Than Advertising

Success came quickly.

What began as a seasonal side project grew into a nationwide manufacturing business, producing hundreds of giant figures for major corporations and independent businesses alike.

Steve even designed a patented trailer system that allowed the enormous statues to be transported and erected more efficiently, solving one of the biggest logistical challenges facing the growing business.

Looking back, he remembers those years with obvious affection.

“I had no idea what a wonderful business we had,” he reflects.

It wasn’t simply about manufacturing fibreglass figures.

It was about creating something memorable enough that people would stop, look and, most importantly, pull into the business they were advertising.

Long before the internet, social media or digital marketing, these towering roadside giants became some of America’s most successful attention-grabbers.

An Unexpected Legacy

Like many industries, roadside advertising evolved.

Changing tastes and new marketing methods gradually reduced demand, and Steve eventually left the business behind before embarking on the next stage of his career.

That next chapter would ultimately lead him back to boats, where his innovative thinking would influence generations of offshore cruising yachts.

Ironically, the giant figures he once considered little more than commercial displays have since become treasured pieces of Americana.

Many have been carefully restored. Others have found homes in museums or become beloved Route 66 landmarks. Collectors and preservationists now dedicate countless hours to tracking, restoring and celebrating these remarkable fibreglass giants.

What began as a practical solution to keeping a small boatyard busy during winter has become a lasting part of American roadside history.

Listen to the Full Episode

The latest episode of the Dashew Talking Books explores this fascinating and often overlooked chapter of Steve Dashew’s life in far greater detail.

From giant Paul Bunyans and Uniroyal Gals to Texaco campaigns, Route 66 landmarks and unexpected entrepreneurial success, it’s a story that’s every bit as remarkable as the offshore adventures Steve is best known for.

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