# Do you live by an unusual advertising monstrosity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 6, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190 "2009-04-06T23:56:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/1 "2009-04-06T23:56:23Z")
Do you live within a mile of some advertising attention getting monstrosity and what is it? Examples: A giant pink elephant A giant fish A mobile home on a 50 foot pole A giant video screen I’ve seen all the examples above. I’m not counting an average road sign or billboard, because they’re everywhere. Now if you live near a animated billboard, that’s unusual. Nobody is going to know if you lied and it’s and slightly over a mile away. I just defined a distance to mean local instead of using a broadly flexible term like local. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/2 "2009-04-07T01:19:20Z")
I don’t live by [Glenn Stone](http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/images/az/AZTUCmuf_mcmillan.jpg) now, but I used to several years ago, at the intersection of Glenn and Stone. Also, when I was a kid my grandparents had the town water tower in their backyard, which was cool because we could see it for miles and when we drove across country to visit (in our peagreen and wood-paneled station wagon with the backseats down and a mattress on the floor… good times), we could see it for miles and we knew we were almost there. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/3 "2009-04-07T02:53:56Z")
There are several of the new electronic billboards in Jackson, but I’m not sure if that’s what you meant. Other than that, no, advertisement monstrosities are generally not allowed in Yuppieville. Everything has to look like a European village or a train station here. One of the ugliest Shell stations I’ve ever seen is up the road in Madison. It is [hideous](http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=h&layer=c&cbll=32.469183,-90.131218&panoid=HdAQio2a1K-AdNHY3Ezsyw&cbp=12,246.39825526516105,,1,5&ll=32.469093,-90.131278&spn=0,359.986267&z=16) (street view). ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/4 "2009-04-07T03:37:25Z")
Well, if you count giant Goodyear blimps as huge advertising monstrosities, one is based about two miles from my home in lovely Carson, California. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/5 "2009-04-07T07:08:19Z")
Well, it’s not in my immediate neighbourhood, but I pass by a monstrosity on a regular basis. It’s a hideous attempt at “preserving” a heritage neon sign by [partially covering it up](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bowmac_comparison.jpg) with a giant Toys R Us banner. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/6 "2009-04-07T10:54:16Z")
About half of those were what I was looking for. Common ugly signs are not. A Goodyear blimp would definitely count. This is for our entertainment though so have at it. I don’t intend to be saying you can’t post that to people. ---
**Author:** ![bartleby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bartleby/32/10491_2.png) [@bartleby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bartleby)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/7 "2009-04-07T11:39:28Z")
I don’t live by it, but work right across the highway from [THIS](http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/9786) monstrosity. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/8 "2009-04-07T15:57:17Z")
How about a roughly 40 foot tall bright red ram’s head at the nearby Dodge dealership? Similar to [this](http://www.bullseyeballoons.com/productservices/balloons/images/rams_head_700.jpg), but much larger. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/9 "2009-04-07T15:57:37Z")
In Vancouver, we have the hideous [**Bow-Mac** sign](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BowMac_Sign), a god-awful eyesore which has perversely been designated as a protected “Heritage” structure, ostensibly because it originally had a working neon element, and Vancouver was once known for neon signage that _wasn’t_ unreasonably tacky. Much more worthy neon signs from Vancouver’s “Neon Era” are without the “Heritage” designation - what makes the Bow-Mac sign different is that it has sentimental value for [Jim Pattison](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Pattison) by virtue of its connection to one of his earliest successes. Yes, the sign hideously proclaims the existence of a business that’s been extinct for decades. No, we’re not allowed to take it down. Yes, the current leaseholders (Toys ‘r’ Us) have bizarrely pasted their own signage over top, creating a monstrosity that can only be improved by the application of explosives. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/10 "2009-04-07T16:11:12Z")
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a monstrosity, but there’s a Mexican restaurant with a huge (6 or 8 feet, maybe) red pepper above the door just down the hill from me. Good landmark when you’re giving someone directions. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/11 "2009-04-07T16:13:01Z")
The Bow Mac sign is about what our town would try to preserve. You can always hope for a tornado. Maybe somebody should suggest preservation in a building so it’s out of the weather and sight. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/12 "2009-04-07T16:15:56Z")
What was once an advertising monstrosity is now a [prized landmark](http://www.bostonspastime.com/citgo.html). ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/13 "2009-04-07T16:49:34Z")
We’ve got a billboard for something or other down the road a piece. It has a picture of a cat whose hair is standing straight up like he plugged his tail into a socket. I can’t get past the picture to see what the ad is for. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/14 "2009-04-07T17:09:29Z")
> [@bartleby](#): > > I don’t live by it, but work right across the highway from [THIS](http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/9786) monstrosity. That thing is awesome. I drove by it tons of times when I was in Cincinnati for business. I always think it is yelling “Oh Lord, why have you forsaken me in a pond in Nowheresville, Ohio!” ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/15 "2009-04-07T17:26:21Z")
It’s not there yet, but if Pepsi gets approval to put their logo on what will be the largest ferris wheel in the USA, then [this](http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/02/the_xanadu_retailentertainment.html) will be about a mile from my house. The Xanadu complex is there already in all its hideousness. And yes, it’s painted in stripes. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/16 "2009-04-07T17:41:33Z")
We used to have this [guy](http://www.beachcalifornia.com/101f.html) on Santa Claus Lane, but finally someone bought the store and remodeled. They were going to tear him down, but someone went and halled him off down the road to Oxnard. ---
**Author:** ![imfloating](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bc79bd/32.png) [@imfloating](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imfloating)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/17 "2009-04-07T19:11:04Z")
We have a giant duck here on Long Island, but everyone kinda likes it. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/18 "2009-04-07T19:43:29Z")
Montreal has its share of large, variously beloved advertising: [The Guaranteed Milk Bottle](http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandman5/2605283461/) [Farine Five Roses](http://accessprohibited.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/farine-five-roses/) [The Orange Julep](http://www.roadsideattractions.ca/orange.htm) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/19 "2009-04-07T20:14:40Z")
The stretch of Route 1 through my town (which is also **CalMeacham** ’s) is world famous for them. Start with the restaurant in a three-masted sailing ship seemingly docked between the Christmas Tree Shop and the Gulf station. Further down, there’s a giant cactus-shaped sign advertising the world-famous steakhouse, then a little further one of the nation’s great tiki restaurants complete with Polynesian idols and Chinese dragons. Then, the giant orange Tyrannosaurus marks the putt-putt course, across from the giant pagoda on the hilltop housing another huge Chinese restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![Theodore\_Striker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Theodore\_Striker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theodore_Striker)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190/20 "2009-04-07T20:25:10Z")
> [@bartleby](#): > > I don’t live by it, but work right across the highway from [THIS](http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/9786) monstrosity. I live in Monroe, but in the far western part of the limits, so I don’t have the big butter Jesus overseeing my every action. It always struck me that the giant Jesus and Larry Flynt’s Hustler Hollywood store were off of the same exit, within minutes of each other. Sin at night, get saved in the morning. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-by-an-unusual-advertising-monstrosity/492190.md?page=2)