Texaco Big Friend Head and Hand - Denton, TX
N 33° 12.863 W 097° 07.966
14S E 674019 N 3676607
With many of them lost or destroyed, the Texaco Big Friend is the rarest of the Muffler Men/Highway Giants. A head and left hand from one of them are on display at Atomic Candy at 105 W Hickory St, Denton, TX.
Waymark Code: WMXWKK
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/08/2018
Views: 4
The Roadside America site (see below) has a comment from the owner of Atomic Candy himself, noting that he found the head in Oklahoma, but there is no indication as to his source for the hand. These are the kinds of oddball things he likes to display to attract customers -- it works! --- and they complement some of the interesting things that are for sale here.
The American Giants website has some really good reading about these most elusive of the Highway Giants (a copy of this page is available from me on request as a PDF should that website go offline). Inspired by existing Highway Giants, Texaco contracted to have at least three hundred of these "Friendly Service Man" figures created in 1965, and by 1966, they were distributed throughout the country to complement an ad campaign. Unfortunately, they were considered a distraction, not an attraction, and because of vandalism and other risks, it wasn't long before they were removed from service and destroyed. Today, only two complete Big Friends survive, while two others exist, missing pieces. The provenance of what's on display here at Atomic Candy is unknown.
The head is easily seen through the front windows, but you'll have to get up closer to see the hand, hanging from the ceiling from a string. Come on inside!
Hours:
Sunday: 12 PM to 8 PM
Monday - Saturday: 11 AM to 9 PM
There is a certain amount of retro and kitsch going on here, and they have literally hundreds of different kinds of candy, lots and lots of soda pop, and plenty of toys, all of which will make you say "Hey, I remember that..." They've got candy that you used to eat, your father used to eat, and even your grandfather used to eat. Then there's the bizarre stuff, like candy with bugs or bacon-flavored treats. This is a really dangerous place to go after you've dined somewhere on the square, as you're likely to pick up something sweet for now, and a few other things for later. There's no admission cost to see the head and hand, but your wallet may be a little lighter after doing some shopping.