My morning walk on The Alameda.
Babe the Muffler Man A San Jose Icon since 1953
Babe was designated a San Jose City Landmark in 1990.
Babes Muffler Shop
1968 model year, VW introduced the second-generation microbus, known as the T2.
Growing up in California, they were really popular in the '70s.
David C. Hill Photographer/Historian
I found some interesting history of the Muffler Men Weird California Website
"Large giants standing 18 to 25 feet tall litter the highways of America, several scattered throughout California. In the 1960s and 1970s a fiberglass company called International Fiberglass created these roadside giants. In 1962, a man called Bob Prewitt who at the time owned Prewitt Fiberglass created the very first Muffler Man, a Paul Bunyan style giant for PB Cafe on Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona. In 1963, Steve Dashew purchased the business from him and until 1975, Muffler Men were churned out by the company, now called International Fiberglass, and appeared on roadways throughout the United States."
http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=195
#DtSj #sanjose #SiliconValley #california
Originally shared on Explore San Jose · October 30, 2020