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
Buy Now
 

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.
image description
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
page4 page10 page11 page5 page12 page19 page3 page8 page1 page7 page14 page2 page6 page13 page17 page15 page9 page16 page18
2

Glenn Stone

Tucson, Arizona

Glenn Stone

I spotted this Lumberjack in 1991, after I moved to Tucson to study at the University of Arizona. Leo Toia purchased it for his auto parts store in 1964. His son Don transformed the business into a hot rod shop but kept the Paul Bunyan statue in its unusual desert habitat. The two Lumberjacks obviously came from the same mold… how many more were out there?

Location: Don’s Hot Rod Shop, 2811 North Stone Avenue
Type: Bunyan
Accessories: Axe, candy cane (during some Christmas seasons)
Spotlight: Named one of “Ten Weird Things to Love About the Old Pueblo” by Tucson Weekly (1997)
Damage: Axe stolen (2009), shot four times in the leg
  • Glenn Stone 2009

Left: Glenn Stone with protective chain-link fence. Right: Vintage Leo’s Auto Supply sign at Don’s Hot Rod Shop. Photos from 2009.

2023 Update

I am happy to report that in the past years Glenn Stone has only grown in stature (figuratively speaking) outside Don’s Hot Rod Shop. As his red short-sleeved shirt states, he is the pride of Tucson’s Coronado Heights neighborhood. Glenn Stone is well cared for, and has been repainted several times. In 2013, his protective chain-link fence was reinforced with two small brick walls to prevent further bumper damage.

  • Glenn Stone 2023

Left: Glenn Stone with protective brick walls. Right: Leo’s Auto Supply sign still standing. Photos courtesy of Jason Ruhl.