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California Statues (page 7)

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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]

Giant Men [gone]
Marina del Rey, CA
 Amitabah Buddha
Mecca, CA
These Giant Men stood on the roof of the Suit Warehouse when this photo was taken in 2008. By 2012, there was a different store here and the statues were gone.

The Amitabah Buddha statue in Mecca was installed at the Tam Nguyen Temple III in 2017. The statue is at least 20 feet tall. [map]

Minute Man
Mipitas, CA
This Minute Man sculpture was created by David Alan Clark and installed in 2014 in front of City Hall. A group of Milpitas citizens known as the "Minute Men" fought and prevented the city's annexation to San Jose. [map]

Miner [gone]
Mi-Wuk Village, CA		 Paper Boy and Dog
Modesto, 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. It was gone by 2022.

This bronze Paper Boy and Dog sculpture was created by Betty Saletta and installed in 1995. The boy is delivering the Modesto Bee, the local paper. [map]

Punch
Morgan Hill, CA
 Punch
Alameda, 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]

Bigfoot
Mount Shasta, CA
 Bigfoot
Garberville, CA
 Bigfoot
Willow Creek, CA
This Bigfoot wood-carved sculpture in Mount Shasta was created in 1984. It stands in front of the Shasta Inn. [map]

This Bigfoot sculpture in Garberville stands in front of the Legend of Bigfoot gift shop. This photo is from 2016. There was a different statue there from at least 2005-2008. The statue shown here had been there since at least 2010. It has been replaced by 2024. [map]

This Bigfoot sculpture in Willow Creek stands in front of the Bigfoot Museum. It has been there since at least 2005. This photo is from 2016. [map]

Bigfoot
Happy Camp, CA
This 16-foot-tall Bigfoot sculpture was created in 2005 by Cheryl Wainwright, Ralph Starritt, and members of the local community. Materials came from the U.S. Forest Service Klamath River clean-up and locals. [map]

Robert and
Margrit Mondavi
Napa, CA
This 8-foot-tall, high-density foam sculpture of Robert and Margrit Mondavi was created by Gordon Huether. It is installed over the entrance to the CIA (The Culinary Institute of America) at Copia. The Mondavis founded and funded Copia as a center for wine, food, and the arts. Their winery was built in 1966 and is still operating in Oakville, CA. For more, see this website. [map]

former Carpeteria Genie
North Hollywood, CA

2013:

2017:
The Carpeteria carpet store chain was established in 1960 in Santa Clarita, CA. The first locations were located in the Los Angeles area. I believe the stores only existed in California and Nevada. The company folded in 1999. I believe these genie icons have always been used in their advertising and in conjunction with their signs. These statues are about 20 feet tall and are identical on both sides. They originally supported a Carpeteria sign which graphically represented a roll of carpet.

This North Hollywood location housed L&S Carpet when the photos above were taken in 2013. This statue is probably from the 1960s or 1970s. In 2017, Superior Tile moved in and repainted the statue orange and black. I believe there are only five of these statues left. There are two statues in Reno and Las Vegas, NV and two others at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, OH. [map]

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