Lumberjack Products (Gone)
Phoenix, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
A towering Lumberjack Products Paul Bunyan once stood watch over this Phoenix industrial yard. Dressed in a blue shirt, heavy boots, and winter cap, the fiberglass giant looked ready to swing an enormous axe at the next stack of lumber.
The figure was one of the Paul Bunyan-style Muffler Men produced by International Fiberglass during the 1960s. This particular lumberjack was still looking surprisingly sharp after a fresh coat of paint, especially for someone who had spent decades standing beneath the Arizona sun.
Lumberjack Products closed in 2007, but the giant avoided an unfortunate trip to the scrap yard. A local collector purchased the old fellow and carefully moved him away from the former business.
UPDATE: This Paul Bunyan statue lasted at the Lumberjack Products until the business closed in 2007. A homeowner acquired the lumberjack and it is now sitting in a private yard. 06-23
UPDATE: Word is the Phoenix lumberjack survives in a private residential yard. It sounds at least this roadside giant found a safe retirement home. 09-26
Hobo Joe
Buckeye, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Hobo Joe Statue stands 25 feet tall in Buckeye, wearing a patched coat, rope belt, floppy hat, and the dignified expression of a traveler who has seen quite a few miles. He originally represented Hobo Joe’s Coffee Shops, an Arizona restaurant chain founded in 1965.
Hobo Joe
Buckeye, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Former Disney animator Jim Casey designed the character, while Phoenix fiberglass craftsman Marvin Ransdell turned him into a 1,200-pound roadside giant. Ransdell reportedly produced two full-size Hobo Joes, along with several smaller figures. The whereabouts of the other giant remain a mystery.
Hobo Joe
Buckeye, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
When the restaurant chain ran into financial trouble during the late 1980s, Ransdell was never paid for his work. Rather than abandon the giant, he gave it to his friend Ramon Gillum in 1989. Gillum installed Hobo Joe outside Gillum’s Meat & Locker, where the wandering philosopher spent the next 27 years beside a slaughterhouse. That probably was not part of the original restaurant marketing plan.
Hobo Joe disappeared in 2016 after the property was sold. For several years he remained hidden inside a warehouse, leading many roadside fans to fear that the old fellow had finally wandered away for good.
Hobo Joe
Buckeye, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Buckeye Main Street Coalition eventually acquired the statue and raised money to repair his cracked fiberglass and sun-faded paint. A local family donated a downtown site, and Hobo Joe returned to public view in 2021, looking considerably refreshed after his long rest.
UPDATE: Hobo Joe remains on display in downtown Buckeye, standing tall behind the Liquor Corral near Fifth Street. The old traveler is once again watching over his adopted hometown. 09-26
Lumberjack Products (Gone)
Hobo Joe
Hobo Joe
Hobo Joe
Hobo Joe
