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California Statues (page 3)

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Astronaut
Palm Springs, CA
 Gnome
Los Angeles, CA
 Bobblehead statues
Los Angeles, CA
This Astronaut statue was installed in front of FLWR CO. Cannabis Dispensary around 2022. This statue was produced by Design Toscano and advertises for Moon Edibles. [map]

This Gnome statue is located at Mickey Hargitay Plants. There are other statues like this in Denton, TX and Vero Beach, FL.

These three Bobblehead statues were installed in front of Dodger Stadium in 2013. There are two other Bobblehead statues not shown here.

Forever Marilyn
Palm Springs, CA
 Unconditional Surrender
San Diego, CA
This Forever Marilyn statue depicting Marilyn Monroe is 26 feet tall. It was created by Seward Johnson from stainless steel and aluminum. The statue was previously installed in Chicago and was moved here in 2012. The statue was moved to New Jersey in 2014. In 2021, it returned to Palm Springs and is expected to remain until 2024. It is installed in front of the Palm Springs Art Museum. For more, see this website.

The Unconditional Surrender statue was also created by Seward Johnson. It was inspired by a VJ Day photo from 1945 of a sailor kissing a nurse. The 25-foot-tall statue is made of bronze. Johnson's first version of this statue was built in 2005. It was made of styrofoam and installed in Times Square in New York City to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. In 2007, a temporary version of this statue was installed in San Diego. That one was replaced with a permanent version in 2013. It is installed next to the USS Midway Museum. [map]

There was an identical statue in Hamilton, NJ which has been moved to Rome, Italy. There is another one in Sarasota, FL and a smaller one in Waikiki, HI. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Fisk Tire Boy
Bakersfield, CA
This Fisk Tire Boy statue is located at the Clerou Tire Company. The character first appeared in advertising in 1907, using the slogan "Time to Re-Tire". This statue is probably from the 1950s. There are a few other statues like this still on display including these in Michigan. [map]

Fisk Tire Boy
Hayward, CA
This Fisk Tire Boy statue is located at Bell Plastics. It appears to be a modern reproduction.

Helmsman
Marina del Rey, CA
The Helmsman statue originally stood in front of the Helms Bakery in Culver City, CA. The Helmsman was the company's symbol. The statue was created by Carl Romanelli around 1950. It is about 10 feet tall and made of cast concrete. The bakery closed in 1969 and in 1971, the statue was donated to the marina. It was installed in Burton W. Chance Park in 1975. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Little League Player
San Bernardino, CA
 Baseball Player
San Francisco, CA
The Little League Player statue is about 15 feet tall. It stands near the Western Regionals Little League Baseball Park. The statue has been there since at least 2003. [map]

This bronze Baseball Player is located at AT&T Park and depicts Willie Mays. Mays played for the San Francisco Giants. The sculpture was produced by William Behrends in 2000. [map]

Gumby and Pokey
Norco, CA
 Tommy Trojan
Los Angeles, CA
The Gumby and Pokey statues are installed in the front yard of a residence. They were created by Dave Williams, the owner of the house. The statues are made of metal. Gumby is about 12 1/2 feet tall and was built in 2002. Pokey was built a couple of years later. For more, see this website. [map]

The Tommy Trojan statue is located at the University of Southern California. The life-sized bronze statue was created by Roger Noble Burnham in 1930. It was modeled after several USC football players. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Punch
Morgan Hill, CA
 Punch
Alameda, CA
 unidentified
character
Torrance, CA
 Egyptian Gods
Los Angeles, CA
The Punch statue in Morgan Hill was located in front of the Morgan Hill Cigar Company & Wine Shop. This photo is from 2014. In 2015, the store moved to a new location. The statue is still displayed outside. This statue is modern and would have originally held a tray like the one in Alameda. The Alameda statue is installed inside the Tobacco Superstore. This character, based on the Punch and Judy puppet character, has been used as the Punch cigar brand's mascot since 1840. The brand is still produced today. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [Morgan Hill map]

This statue of an unidentified character stands in front of a daycare center. Does anyone know who this statue represents? [map]

These 12-foot-tall statues of the Egyptian Gods, Queen Tiye and Ramses II, were installed in front of the KRST Unity Center of Afrakan entrance in 2007. The statues were restored in 2015. These photos are from 2017. [map]

Wayne Holden
Cardiff, CA
 Gold Miner
Coarsegold, CA
 Gold Miner
Weaverville, CA
This bronze statue of Wayne Holden was installed in 1999. Holden died in 1997 at 47 years of age. He was the former President of the Cardiff Town Council. [map]

This Gold Miner in Coarsegold is 12 feet tall and was carved from a cedar tree by Miles Tucker. I believe it was carved in the 1990s. The statue was originally installed downtown in front of the Yosemite Gallery and Indian Territory gift shop. The statue is known as "Gabby." It is now located in front of the long-closed Broken Bit Restaurant. [map]

This wood-carved Gold Miner in Weaverville is installed in front of the 49er Gold Country Inn. It has been there since at least 2012. [map]

Miner [gone?]
Mi-Wuk Village, CA		 Miner & Burro [gone]
Cabazon, CA		 Miner & Burro
Buena Park, CA
The Miner in Mi-Wuk Village stood next to Diamond Jim's restaurant. The wood-carved statue had been there since at least 2006. The business is closed and the statue is missing. I don't know if it was moved inside. [map]

This Miner & Burro statue in Cabazon was installed in front of the Wheel Inn restaurant. The restaurant opened in 1958 and was originally owned by Claude Bell. It closed in 2016 and was demolished. This statue is gone now. This statue and the giant dinosaur statues located directly behind the restaurant were created by Bell. The Miner statue was based on Seldom Seen Slim, a miner who lived in Death Valley and a friend of Bell. This statue was originally located in front of Bell's studio and was later moved to the Wheel Inn. For more, see this website.

This Miner & Burro statue in Buena Park is located just outside the Knott's Berry Farm amusement park. This pair was either created by Claude Bell or is a copy of his work. There was a very similar pair located inside the park in the 1960s. [map]

Calico Ghost Town
Yermo, CA
These Calico Ghost Town miner statues were created by Claude Bell in the 1950s. He made similar statues for Knott's Berry Farm. It is not known if these statues were built for Calico or if they were moved here from Knott's. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Toy Soldiers
Stockton, CA		 Storyland Inn [gone]
Fresno, CA		 Bad Bud's
Fresno, CA
These Toy Soldiers were designed by Ad-Art and installed at the Magic Village toy store in San Jose around 1974. They are about 25 feet tall. The toy store closed around 1981. The Soldiers were moved back to Ad-Art in Stockton and faced Highway 99. In 2001, they were donated to the Children's Museum of Stockton. The fiberglass statues were restored and installed outside the museum in 2002. The red statue originally held a rifle on his shoulder. The horn-blowing blue soldier has been given a dark skin tone. The yellow statue at the back of the building in the weeds originally held a drum. For more, see this website. [map]

The Storyland Inn was built in 1942 but probably went by a different name originally. It was most likely given the name after the Rotary Storyland & Playland opened in 1962. The amusement park is about one mile away. These toy soldier statues are probably from the 1960s as well. There was at least one other soldier further back on the motel property. I believe there were four statues altogether. The motel had been closed and surrounded with chain link fencing since 2009. I believe it was demolished in 2016. Two of the statues were donated to Storyland Park where they will be displayed. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

These Bad Bud's gas station and car wash statues appear to be made of concrete or plaster. They look like they could be the work of Claude Bell or styled after his statues. [map]

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