International Fiberglass

International Fiberglass was a fiberglass molding company established in Venice, California, around 1963 under the ownership of Steve Dashew. The company became closely associated with the large molded fiberglass figures that later entered American roadside culture under the informal name “Muffler Men.” These figures were typically oversized human forms installed outside restaurants, service stations, automotive businesses, tourist attractions, and other commercial locations. Their scale and simplified construction made them highly visible roadside advertising objects. The company’s origins lay in Dashew’s purchase of Prewitt Fiberglass Animals and the acquisition of the molds made by Bob Prewitt. Among the acquired molds was a roughly 20-foot human figure that Prewitt had used in 1962 for an oversized statue at the Paul Bunyan Cafe in Flagstaff, Arizona. Dashew’s principal business included fiberglass boat production, but he recognized that the large human-form mold could provide additional work during slower periods in boatbuilding. International Fiberglass therefore began promoting its ability to manufacture giant molded figures and started selling them commercially in 1964. The product range expanded beyond the original male figure. International Fiberglass produced a female figure that could be configured in different outfits, including a bikini swimsuit or a dress. Over approximately a decade of production, the company also made large fiberglass representations of cowboys, Native American figures, astronauts, chickens, dinosaurs, Yogi Bear, tigers, and other subjects. These products were usually customized or adapted for commercial display rather than sold as a conventional consumer-goods line. The figures were sold in substantial numbers for the period. Reported prices generally ranged from $1,800 to $2,800 per figure, with lower prices available for large orders. One notable bulk order involved Texaco, which reportedly purchased 300 figures at a reduced unit price. Such orders demonstrate that the business could operate both as a maker of individual roadside landmarks and as a supplier for coordinated commercial installations. International Fiberglass ceased production of the oversized figures in 1974. Dashew sold the company’s assets in 1976, after which the large figure molds were destroyed. The company is therefore defunct, but its work remains recognizable through surviving roadside statues and through the continuing cultural interest in Muffler Men. The brand’s historical importance rests less on a broad corporate portfolio than on its role in establishing a repeatable fiberglass-molding business for oversized advertising sculptures and in popularizing a distinctive form of American roadside visual culture.

International Fiberglass emerged in Venice, California, around 1963 after Steve Dashew purchased Prewitt Fiberglass Animals and obtained the molds associated with Bob Prewitt’s work. The acquisition included a mold for an approximately 20-foot human figure that had been used in 1962 to make a statue for the Paul Bunyan Cafe in Flagstaff, Arizona. Dashew operated a fiberglass boatbuilding business and used the oversized figure mold to create supplementary work during slower boatbuilding periods. The company began actively selling giant figures in 1964. Its large human forms were designed for outdoor commercial display and became particularly suitable for roadside advertising because of their height, simple silhouettes, and ability to attract the attention of passing motorists. The figures were later widely referred to as Muffler Men, although that name describes the cultural type of roadside statue rather than a separately documented International Fiberglass product trademark. International Fiberglass expanded its output beyond a single male figure. A female figure was available with alternative clothing treatments, including a bikini or a dress. During roughly ten years of production, the company manufactured hundreds of oversized figures. The subjects included cowboys, Native American figures, astronauts, giant chickens, dinosaurs, Yogi Bear, and tigers. The company’s work served a variety of commercial and promotional settings, and some orders were placed in large batches. Figures reportedly sold for approximately $1,800 to $2,800, while bulk purchases could reduce the price to about $1,000 per figure. Texaco was reported to have ordered 300 figures in one such batch. Production ended in 1974. In 1976, Dashew sold the company’s assets, and the large figure molds were subsequently destroyed. This ended the original manufacturing operation, although many completed figures survived in roadside locations and private collections. Their persistence helped turn International Fiberglass into an important historical reference point for the study of American roadside architecture, commercial sculpture, and fiberglass fabrication. The company’s legacy is concentrated in the surviving oversized figures rather than in an ongoing corporate organization or active product catalog.

• 1976

  Company assets sold

  [1]International Fiberglassen.wikipedia.org

  Steve Dashew sold the company’s assets. The oversized figure molds were destroyed after the sale.

• 1974

  Oversized-figure production ends

  [1]International Fiberglassen.wikipedia.org

  After approximately a decade of production, International Fiberglass ceased making its large commercial figures.

• 1964

  Commercial sales of oversized figures begin

  [1]International Fiberglassen.wikipedia.org

  International Fiberglass began selling large molded fiberglass figures after promoting its ability to manufacture oversized roadside and advertising sculptures.

• 1963

  International Fiberglass established in Venice

  [1]International Fiberglassen.wikipedia.org

  Steve Dashew purchased Prewitt Fiberglass Animals and acquired its molds, forming the basis of International Fiberglass in Venice, California.

• 1962

  Prewitt oversized figure produced for the Paul Bunyan Cafe

  [1]International Fiberglassen.wikipedia.org

  Before International Fiberglass was formed, Bob Prewitt used a large human-figure mold to produce an approximately 20-foot statue for the Paul Bunyan Cafe in Flagstaff, Arizona. The mold later became central to Steve Dashew’s oversized-figure business.

A specialist fiberglass molding company positioned around durable, highly visible oversized figures for roadside advertising and commercial display, with boatbuilding as part of its broader manufacturing activity.

• Roadside advertising sculpture · 1964

  Muffler Man figures

  International Fiberglass’s best-known products were very large molded fiberglass human figures, generally around 20 feet tall. They were made for outdoor commercial display and became associated with roadside businesses, especially automotive and service-related locations. The figures’ simplified forms and imposing scale made them effective visual landmarks. The informal term Muffler Man became widely used for this class of statue, although surviving examples could be adapted for different businesses and themes.

• Roadside advertising sculpture

  Female oversized figures

  The company expanded its human-figure range with a female version that could be fitted with different clothing treatments, including a bikini swimsuit or a dress. This modular presentation allowed purchasers to adapt the same general sculptural concept to different commercial settings and visual identities.

• Commercial fiberglass sculpture

  Themed oversized figures

  International Fiberglass also produced large fiberglass representations of themed subjects such as cowboys, Native American figures, astronauts, giant chickens, dinosaurs, Yogi Bear, and tigers. These pieces extended the company’s capabilities beyond human roadside figures and supported use by restaurants, attractions, fuel businesses, and other commercial venues.

• Boatbuilding

  Fiberglass boats

  Boat production formed part of the company’s manufacturing activity. Steve Dashew used the oversized-figure business in part to generate work during slow periods in boatbuilding, indicating that International Fiberglass operated with a broader fiberglass fabrication base than its later roadside-sculpture reputation alone suggests.

• 1974

  End oversized-figure productionStrategy

  Background

  International Fiberglass had produced large commercial figures for approximately ten years.

  Action taken

  The company ceased production of the oversized figures.

  Aftermath

  The company’s assets were sold in 1976, and the large figure molds were destroyed after the sale, ending the original production model.

  Source

• 1963

  Use boatbuilding capacity to manufacture oversized figuresStrategy

  Background

  The company had fiberglass boatbuilding activity, while the acquisition of Prewitt’s molds provided a way to produce large figures using related fabrication capabilities.

  Action taken

  Steve Dashew promoted the company’s ability to make giant figures and developed them as a commercial product line beginning in 1964.

  Aftermath

  The strategy developed into a roughly decade-long business that produced hundreds of large fiberglass figures for roadside and commercial display.

  Source

1. 1International Fiberglassen.wikipedia.org