Without a doubt the most prevalent form of roadside kitsch, the larger-than-life statue takes a familiar image and presents it in an entirely new context.

Maybe it's a fish out of water. Or a corporate mascot finally free from the label on a can of beans. Or it might be a city's favorite son or daughter, molded in concrete to forever remind people of the local link to greatness.

Metropolis, Illinois, embraced this superhero as its own and erected a statue.
City of Metropolis COC
Metropolis, Illinois, embraced
this superhero as its own. See

There is something at once disconcerting and reassuring about colossal statues near the highway. Like guardians of this strange land you're speeding through, they watch and protect. It's nearly impossible to escape the stare of someone who looms 100 feet over a city.

But they also beckon, primarily because
they are so hard to absorb while moving at 75 miles an hour. In order to avoid a car accident, the safest course of action is to take the time to pull over and examine this colossus of Anywhere, USA, up close.

While the very oldest roadside Americana predates the car, the bulk of roadside statues came to be in the latter half of the 20th century.

When the West opened up to the middle class as a vacation destination, it catalyzed a movement to create the brashest statues and put them up in places where the most out-of-towners could see them.

While the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and religious icons the world over inspired the artists responsible, regionally grown legumes and brightly colored animals also proved themselves effective muses.

So who exactly is deserving of having their likeness magnified, carved or molded, and presented to the occupants of passing vehicles? To be honest, the bar hasn't been set all that high. The inspiration might be an animal, even a common household pest like a termite, and somebody could still find a reason to build a super-size model to scale.

These larger-than-life creations don't even have to be real people: The subject of a roadside sculpture can be the stuff of tall tales or legend. Alternately, it could be a generic stereotype -- say, a pirate, a cowboy, or a lumberjack. Or a cartoon character who has migrated from the funny pages to the side of the highway.

Sure, a statue can be a respectful homage to a truly great person, but once the thing is bigger than life (i.e., humongous), the exaggeration tends to undercut the sanctity.

No matter what the finished product looks like, there was an inspiration behind each and every one of the roadside effigies you'll find in this article. They include:

Arizona
Hobo Joe Statue
This roadside attraction is one of the few remaining statues that was built for the now-defunct restaurant chain, Hobo Joe's.

Arrow Statues
Two huge arrows plunging into the Colorado Plateau are all that remain of advertising for the Twin Arrows Trading Post.

Colorado
Steve Canyon Statue
After a gulch in Idaho Springs was renamed to commemorate Steve Canyon, a patriotic cartoon character, the U.S. Treasury Department erected this statue in its honor.

Mike the Headless Chicken Sculpture
This unique roadside statue tells the tale of Lloyd Olsen and his headless chicken, who survived without a head for 18 months thanks to feedings from an eyedropper.

Georgia
Jimmy Carter Peanut Sculpture
To commemorate former president Jimmy Carter's peanut-farming days, this 13-foot peanut was created during his presidential campaign.

Junk Statue of Liberty
A tree stump, Styrofoam, some green paint...that's all the Lions Club in McRae, Georgia, needed to fashion this one-sixteenth scale model of the Statue of Liberty.

Illinois
Superman Statue
Metropolis, Illinois decided to capitalize on Superman's popularity by calling itself the "Hometown of Superman" and raising a statue of the comic book hero.

Kentucky
Roadside Statue Garden: Dinosaurs
This statue garden was designed to mark the territory where dinosaur skeletons were discovered...and to increase tourism.

Michigan
Joe Louis Sculpture
Detroit dwellers either love or hate this 24-foot bronze fist created to honor boxer Joe Louis.

Minnesota
Jolly Green Giant Statue
The Green Giant company began in Blue Earth, Minnesota, and that's where this 55-foot-tall jolly statue has resided since 1979.

Paul Bunyan Statue
While you can find Paul Bunyan statues from coast-to-coast, this one in Bemidji, Minnesota, is one of the most notable of the big lumberjack.

Paul Bunyan's Girlfriend Statue
A statue of Big Paul's longtime girlfriend, Lucette, resides about 50 miles southeast of Bemidji, Minnesota, in a resort town called Hackensack.

North Dakota
Enchanted Highway
This roadside attraction is one man's attempt at giving his beloved agricultural-based town another way of surviving.

W'eel Turtle Sculpture
This 40-foot turtle was constructed out of 2,000 tire rims by Dale's Thrifty Barn, a gas station/cafe/motel in town.

Oklahoma
Golden Driller Statue
At 76 feet tall and 43,500 pounds, the Golden Driller is allegedly the world's largest freestanding statue.

Oregon
Caveman Statue
This fiberglass Neanderthal represents the Elks-club-like group that used to meet in the cave system near Grants Pass.

Texas
Forbidden Gardens Statues
The Forbidden Gardens offers a glimpse into Chinese history, including models of the Forbidden City and Emperor Qin's tomb.

Washington
Fremont Troll Statue
This large concrete troll lurking under a bridge in Seattle brings to mind many a fairy tale.

Wyoming
Jackalope Statue
Douglas, Wyoming, otherwise known as the "Jackalope Capital of the World," commemorates this legendary critter with a statue and an annual festival.

Canada
Chuck the Channel Cat Statue
Selkirk, Manitoba, uses this 30-food monument to help promote itself as the "Catfish Capital."

Ernie the Turtle Statue
This roadside statue was created by Don Foulds, who has built other roadside attractions in Canada.

Let's get started on our road to roadside statues with a 40-foot-tall character from Arizona in the next section.

Want to discover more family vacation destinations? See: