Right Palm Up, Left Palm Down
In 1984, a ten-year-old boy encountered a mysterious 20-foot-tall fiberglass statue named Louie in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Eight years later, he spotted an identical statue in Tucson. A third sighting outside a run-down convenience store made it a trend. Thus began a scavenger hunt to discover the origins of Louie and his brethren. Only one rule applied: No searching for them on the Internet!

Right Palm Up, Left Palm Down

The Log of a Cross-Country Scavenger Hunt by Gabriel Aldaz
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Meet the Characters

This page is devoted to the Muffler Men in the order that I encountered them in my scavenger hunt. The names of most statues are widely accepted, and the numbers roughly correspond to the book chapters. The map and descriptions were accurate in 2009, and are being updated in 2023 with your help! Click on the numbers on the map or the names on the right to learn more about each one.
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10 Route 66

Chicken Boy

Los Angeles, California

Chicken Boy

With his benign grin and cross-eyed gaze, Chicken Boy welcomed clients to his restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. When the restaurant closed suddenly in 1984, Amy Inouye hired a crew to take him down. She kept his head in her apartment, and a friend had the body in his backyard. In 2007, a reassembled and refurbished “Mr. Boy” took his place atop Amy’s Future Studio with the help of numerous permits, a hefty quantity of welded steel, and a large crane.

Location: Future Studio, 5558 N Figueroa Street
Type: Bunyan body, modified arms, one-of-a-kind chicken head
Accessories: Bucket of fried chicken
Spotlight: “The Statue of Liberty of Los Angeles”
Damage: Was on his back, headless, for 20 years, while awaiting restoration
  • Chicken Boy

Left: Chicken Boy atop the Future Studio roof (2009). Right: Chicken Boy’s head in Amy’s apartment (2004).

2023 Update

Chicken Boy has only grown in stature (figuratively) as the years have passed.