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A shot of the 20-foot former Phillips 66 cowboy giant where he sat for 26 years in the woods of Jones County with his legs a short distance away. COURTESY OF JOEL BAKER -
In the mid ‘90s, Georgia artist Laura Floyd took a photo of the giant at a car lot in Gray. This photo inspired Baker’s 12 year search. COURTESY OF JOEL BAKER -
Mr. Finance is loaded into the truck, though his arms were eventually removed in order to fit him into the vehicle. COURTESY OF JOEL BAKER -
At Mark Clines shop in Virginia, Joel Baker discovered the captain’s hat is a cut up of the former cowboy hat. The word “Mr Finance Giant” was on the hat and under that was the original Phillips 66 logo. COURTESY OF JOEL BAKER -
Mr. Finance Giant in his prime promoted Macon native Dennis Lockaby’s car lot. COURTESY OF JOEL BAKE
American Giant hunter Joel Baker made a dream discovery in the woods of Jones County near Milledgeville. Located near its original home, a 20-foot former Phillips 66 cowboy was found and rescued for restoration on March 14.
Baker’s Interest
Muffler Men were a nationwide phenomenon during the 1960s and ’70s, according to Baker.
His own fascination with them began on a work trip near Dade City, Fla. When he went to visit some friends in Brooksville, Fla., he saw a giant dinosaur without a head.
Curious about the backstory of the headless reptile, his research led him to the website roadside-America.com, which lists and archives roadside attractions.
“They had a banner that said ‘Learn about the Muffler Men’ and I was intrigued. I saw they had a map and there was one listed in Dade City so I went to see it,” said Baker. “There was just something about it that made me think ‘This is so cool!’ and very few people seemed to know about them.”
After his introduction to the promotional giants, Baker began to make his map of locations based on his travels and would speak with the owners to learn the history of each one.
“From the beginning, I was so fascinated by this one picture posted on the website. There was no other evidence that this giant existed. It was listed on the website in Douglas, which is nowhere near where it was,” said Baker. “Since 2011, I’ve made an effort to find it and learn its story.”
The giant
In 1966, the Phillips 66 gas stations ordered 100 fiberglass cowboys to promote their business.
Harold Wade, who owned a Phillips 66 gas station on Hartley Bridge Road in Macon, hosted one of these cowboys in the late ‘60s. The concrete slab it once stood on still exists at the former location, though the building is no longer present.
“They would come on a trailer and platform and you could either buy them outright or be part of a roaming program,” said Baker. “Georgia had a few of these giants around.”
The cowboy was housed there until 1983 when it was bought by Dennis Lockaby, owner of C&L Motor Co. on Eisenhower Parkway in Macon, where it was transformed into Mr. Finance Giant to promote Lockaby’s car lot. From a cowboy, the giant was refurbished into a captain figurine to complement Lockaby’s nickname, “Captain.”
The giant stayed there for many years until the Macon-Bibb County Planning and Zoning Commission changed local zoning regulations.
Mr. Finance Giant was determined to be over the limit on the number of square feet a business could have in signs.
“It was just getting rough for him with the city so he moved it down to Warner Robins and had it at one of his appliance shops,” said Baker.
“He stood there for quite a few years and eventually his brother took ownership of it.”
The brother used the giant briefly at a car lot in Gray. In the mid-'90s, Georgia artist Laura Floyd took a photo of the giant that was eventually posted to the roadside-America website, leading to Baker’s future search.
“When the lot was eventually sold in 1998, the new owners didn’t want the giant so the brother stored it on a family’s property and that’s where it sat for 26 years,” said Baker.
Finding the giant
Dave Distler, a former genealogist, assisted Baker in tracking down the giant in late February.
Through Distler’s research and communication with Middle Georgia residents, the pair got into contact with a family member who told them they hadn’t seen it in over 10 years. After some discussion with other family members, it was agreed that Distler and Baker could retrieve the giant.
The giant was resting in the back of the property and took two hours to be hauled from the location to the truck. They had to remove the arms to fit him into the truck but once stored securely, Mr. Finance was on his way to Mark Clines’ shop in Virginia to begin restoration.
“We do restorations in Illinois but we have so many giants getting ready for our museum this summer that I took him to a buddy in Virginia,” said Baker. “I expect by the end of the summer he will be restored.”
Baker was excited to have ended his 12-year-long search for the disappearing muffler man.
Through his find, he initiated an outpouring of Facebook followers who remembered its home in Warner Robins and led the original owner’s daughter to reach out to Baker and reminisce on her father’s journey with the giant.
“I think it’s the treasure hunt and the unknown of where they are that makes me enjoy them,” said Baker. “This giant was very special and the picture was so cool. I had never seen a captain muffler man and it seemed like this guy had just disappeared so I had to know what happened. Along the way, I discovered a lot about Macon's history and its transformation.”
The giant will be restored to his original state as a Phillips 66 Cowboy and is planned to debut in 2025 at the American Giants Museum in Atlanta, Ill.