Gemini Giant

We do have a soft spot for Muffler Men, and the 30 feet tall Gemini Giant is one of the greatest muffler men in existence (even though his “space helmet” does rather resemble a muffler man welding mask).

Like most Muffler Men, he currently does not stand in his original location, having enjoyed a few different locations around his hometown of Wilmington Illinois, along Route 66.

When we visited him, he was living his last few days beside The Launching Pad diner, where he had lived since 1960, when the Dari-delite owners decided to go intergalactic by changing their drive-thru diners name to The Launching Pad, and installing a giant green space man in the parking lot. The arrival of this huge green 438-pound astronaut caused a flurry of excitement in 1960 Wilmington, and a contest was held to give the town’s newest fiberglass citizen a name, the school aged winner suggesting the name Gemini Giant. (named for the Gemini Space Program)

The Gemini Giant quickly became a symbol of Route 66 becoming one of its most popular roadside attractions. He was inducted into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame in 2000.

Sadly, The Launching Pad diner struggled to stay in business, and closed permanently during the COVID pandemic.

The Gemini Giant still guarded the abandoned diner when we visited in late 2023.

The next year he was removed from his original location, restored, and installed in his new home at the entrance to South Island Park in Wilmington. The town gave him a big homecoming party, and Route 66 icon endured for us all to enjoy.

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Midwest USA No. 13 -last visited October 2024