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All the United States Illinois Wilmington Gemini Giant
Gemini Giant is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

Gemini Giant

This historic Illinois "Muffler Man" has been converted from axe-touting lumberjack to rocket-wielding space ace.

Wilmington, Illinois

Added By
Eric Grundhauser
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The Gemini Giant   formulanone / CC BY-SA 2.0
Gemini Giant   Laura Bittner on Flickr
Gemini Giant   Tydence Davis on Flickr
6-12-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
6-12-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
6-12-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
3-21-23   CRYROLFE / Atlas Obscura User
Gemini Giant   r4777f6vqh / Atlas Obscura User
Gemini   eniles / Atlas Obscura User
  rubeodos / Atlas Obscura User
Gemini Giant   Anne Swoboda on Flickr
  cjohns36 / Atlas Obscura User
  cjohns36 / Atlas Obscura User
Rededication of the Gemini Giant - Nov 30, 2024   cjohns36 / Atlas Obscura User
Visited the Giant in 2020   jen487 / Atlas Obscura User
Future Home of the Gemini Giant   BecacKT / Atlas Obscura User
  SemiruralYeti / Atlas Obscura User
  cjohns36 / Atlas Obscura User
6-12-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The once ubiquitous "Muffler Men" that once dotted the attractions along Route 66 like giant clones have slowly disappeared over the years, but a few remain, of which Illinois' Gemini Giant may be the only one to be decked out like a pulpy rocket man.

Most of the original Muffler Men were created as Paul Bunyan figures, each with the same crooked-arm pose to hold an axe, however many of them were customized to fit the needs of the business or attraction they were representing. Such was the case with the Gemini Giant which was commissioned to stand sentinel outside of the Launching Pad Drive-In, a diner that has been serving the Mother Road since 1960.

Given his name in honor of the Gemini space program, the static colossus is unique among his kind. Instead of a flannel shirt and overalls, the Gemini Giant sports a green jumpsuit (still, oddly, without sleeves), and a pointy silver helmet has been added to the figure as well. In place of the traditional axe, the green goliath is cradling a gleaming rocket emblazoned with the name of the diner.

Thanks to the continued success of the Launching Pad, the Gemini Giant has managed to survive while so many of his fiberglass brethren have been lost to the scrap heap. The giant is somewhat of a local celebrity in the area which is understandable given that there are not too many other 30-foot tall retro-astronauts to steal his thunder.

Related Tags

Highways Route 66 Roadside Attractions Muffler Men Science Fiction

Community Contributors

Added By

EricGrundhauser

Edited By

BecacKT, jen487, cjohns36, rubeodos...

  • BecacKT
  • jen487
  • cjohns36
  • rubeodos
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • eniles
  • Darrell Powers
  • SemiruralYeti
  • r4777f6vqh
  • CRYROLFE
  • calebhilton02

Published

February 16, 2014

Edit this listing

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Sources
  • http://www.legendsofamerica.com/il-wilimington.html
  • http://roadsidewonders.net/the-gemini-giant-old-route-66/
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/447
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_Giant
Gemini Giant
810 E. Baltimore Street
Wilmington, Illinois, 60481
United States
41.310593, -88.138635
Get Directions

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