Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

International Fiberglass

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International Fiberglass

International Fiberglass was a company founded in Venice, California in about 1963, when Steve Dashew purchased Prewitt Fiberglass Animals and acquired all of the molds created by Bob Prewitt.

One of the molds which Dashew acquired in the transaction was a 20-foot human figure, which Prewitt had used in 1962 to create an oversized statue for the Paul Bunyan Cafe in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The company had made fiberglass boats, but Dashew decided to use the mold to create some business during slow boat-building periods. He began advertising his outsize figure-making capability, and began selling his giant figures in 1964, collectively known as Muffler Men. The outsize figures eventually included a female, who could be fitted either with a bikini swimsuit or a dress. In 10 years of production, International Fiberglass sold hundreds of oversized figures, including cowboys, Indians, astronauts, giant chickens, dinosaurs, Yogi Bears, and tigers- selling each for $1,800 to $2,800 (or as low as $1000 when ordered in bulk, as when the Texaco Company ordered a batch of 300).

Dashew ceased production in 1974, and sold the company assets in 1976. The outsized molds were destroyed after the sale.

References

International Fiberglass Wikipedia