There are giants among us. We like to celebrate things oversized, larger than life. It doesn’t matter that they’re not real. We like things big. They come in the form of statues of people, animal totems, or commonplace objects that would be unremarkable but for their prodigious size. Often they’re designed to draw trade to commercial enterprises, but may also be civic monuments. Some are just pure whimsy.
For years, hungry patrons of the Big Boy restaurant chain have been greeted by the statue of a smiling overlarge youngster in red and white check overalls holding a hamburger aloft in his left hand. Another restaurant, not far from where I live, features a large figure in the form of a paper cone of French fries with a befuddled human face, arms and legs. Surplus Unlimited in Norwich, Connecticut, which sells everything from furniture to health and beauty products, is watched over by a serious looking man in a blue cowboy hat who stands about three stories tall.