Entry No. 26 — the Boise file — filed under: roadside-oddity
Cowboy Muffler Man
A 22-foot fiberglass giant looms over an RV park just off Interstate 84, one of the surviving 'Muffler Men' churned out by International Fiberglass in the mid-1960s, originally a Phillips 66 cowboy whose faded oil-company logo is still visible on his shirt. He wears a gray hat, yellow shirt, and blue jeans, and over the decades the park has re-costumed and repainted him, arming him at various points with a now-bleached stop sign, a sewer-hose lariat, and even a giant hot dog on a stick. He's spent the better part of three decades watching over the campground.
The story
If you know where to look along Interstate 84 near milepost 156.5, you’ll spot a 22-foot ghost of 1960s highway advertising standing sentry over Wendell. Cast by International Fiberglass back when oversized molded figures were the ultimate gimmick for roadside business, this titan started life as a corporate pitchman for Phillips 66. Look closely at his chest beneath the yellow paint, gray hat, and blue jeans—you can still catch the faint, ghosted outline of the original oil-company logo whispering through decades of touch-ups.
He’s spent roughly three decades stationed at Wilson’s RV Park, swapping corporate promotion for an endless vigil over passing campers. Rather than keeping him static, the park’s caretakers have treated the giant like a high-desert dress-up project. Over the years, his empty hands have been retrofitted with whatever made sense at the time: a sun-bleached stop sign, a giant hot dog on a stick, and most fittingly for a campground, a lasso improvised from an actual RV sewer drain hose.
What it's like
Pull off I-84 onto North Frontage Road and you'll catch him towering over the line of trailers well before you park. Because he sits on the grounds of a private RV park, stay respectful of the folks living and staying there—pull off on the frontage road to snap your photos rather than tromping through someone's campsite. Line up your camera near his massive boots from outside the property line to capture the full ridiculous scale of mid-century fiberglass against the Idaho sky.
The move: Make him the turnaround point of an I-84 road trip and pose at his giant boots for the requisite tiny-human photo.
📍 Before you go Stands on the grounds of a private RV park visible from the frontage road; view from outside and be respectful of guests.
- 📍 Wendell
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Wilson's RV Park, 1894 N Frontage Rd, Wendell, ID 83355 (I-84 milepost 156.5)
Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Little City of Rocks — Drive eleven miles northeast to trade man-made fiberglass for pale rhyolite hoodoos and natural arches.
- Balanced Rock — Head south toward Castleford to see nature's own roadside impossibility—a 40-ton rock resting on a three-foot pedestal.
- Idaho's Mammoth Cave & Shoshone Bird Museum of Natural History — Continue east to Shoshone to pair your roadside giant photo with a walk through a lava tube and a dense taxidermy collection.
Good to know
Where exactly is the Cowboy Muffler Man located?
He stands on the grounds of Wilson's RV Park at 1894 N Frontage Rd in Wendell, Idaho, right alongside I-84 at milepost 156.5.
Does it cost anything to view him?
No, he is visible from the public frontage road for free.
Can you walk up to the giant's feet?
The statue is on private RV park property. You should view and photograph him from the frontage road or edge of the grounds to avoid disturbing campground guests.
What props has he held over the years?
He has held a faded stop sign, a gigantic hot dog on a stick, and a lariat crafted out of an RV sewer drain hose.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Roadside America · sillyamerica.com · idahorv.com · Yelp
last checked: 2026-06-24