Peoria, Illinois

Uniroyal Gal

This rare female version of the Muffler Man has its clothes removed each summer to signal the start of pool season.

The female version of the Muffler Man is a rare find, with only about a dozen spread out across the United States. This particular Uniroyal Gal is especially unusual. It’s said to be the only one that has its clothes removed each summer, revealing a bright red bikini meant to announce the start of summer pool season.

This strange fiberglass statue, which locals have named Vanna Whitewall, is roughly 17.5 feet tall and weighs approximately 450 pounds. The mighty woman has been a local landmark since the 1960s and has even survived a car crash. It now stands atop a small wooden platform to keep drivers from accidentally backing into its legs.

The Uniroyal Gal was one of the giant statues made by the International Fiberglass Company for the Uniroyal Tire Company. Each statue was originally scantily clad but came with large clothes that could be snapped onto the figure to give it a more modest look. The person who designed the huge roadside attractions supposedly modeled them after Jackie Kennedy.

The women were erected throughout the country to help promote the tires. But by the 1970s, the tire company had begun losing interest in producing and maintaining the Uniroyal Gals. Many of the statues were then abandoned where they stood.