The Giant Spartan

What happens when a giant Carpet Viking has a mid-life crisis, finds the business he has guarded for decades is no longer selling Viking carpets, and needs to find a new lease of life?? Well, apparently, he sheds the horns from his helmet, trades his burgundy and brown color palette for blue and gold, and gets a new job as mascot for Springfield Southeast High School. (Go Spartans)

In 1967 the Barker-Lubin Homebuilders store stopped selling Viking Carpet products, which was awkward for the giant Viking standing on top of the building. At the same time Springfield Southeast High School was just being built, so the Viking was given a sword and had a beauty makeover as a Spartan and was donated to the school. Brilliantly, he was placed above the front entrance to the school and has stood there ever since. Thirty years later, in the 90’s he was refurbished again, still as a giant spartan, but now with a new paint job and a bigger sword. He still looks like Jambi from Pee Wee’s Playhouse though, and that only makes us love him all the more.

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Midwest USA No. 24 -last visited October 2023