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Route 66's Muffler Men

The Titans along US 66

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The Muffler Men on Route 66: They ate gigantic fiberglass statues from the 1960s and 70s that have survived the winds of change and evoke a period of grandeur.

Muffler Men They are typical examples of U.S. 66 roadside kitsch with their extreme size and colors. They come in different varieties and setting, and they bring back the nostalgia and memories of the golden days of road trips.

Learn where they are along the Mother Road so that you can stop by and visit them during your Route 66 road trip.

Enjoy your Route 66 roadtrip!

The fiberglass giants along US66

Index to this page on Muffler Men

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Muffler Men

What are they?

Muffler Men are gigantic (18 to 25 feet tall; 5.5 to 7.5 m) statues moulded in fiberglass and polyester resin on steel frames.

Their design was similar, not to say identical: sqare jawed man with both arms outstretched, the right hand up and the left one facing down. They were always holding something, and very often it was a car's muffler, and that is why they are known as "Muffler Men".

They were attired in different costumes: some were lumberjacks with axes in their hands, others were cowboys holding rifles, there were indians, pirates and even an astronaut holding a space ship.

Uniroyal Gal

There was even a female version, the "Uniroyal Gal" built specially for the Uniroyal Tire Co., but these are very rare and hard to come across nowadays. Below we mention the Uniroyal Gal on Route 66 in Livingston IL.

They were built to serve as eye-catcher advertising along American roads, highways and streets.

Fit-and-well.com advertisement

The History of Muffler Men

The Pioneer: Bob Prewitt

Bob Prewitt was a cowboy who liked to go to rodeos in the late 1950s, and he was also an entrepreneur. He realized that the steel and metal trailers used to transport horses in the rodeo circuit were too heavy and cumbersome. So he set out to make a lighter fiberglass horse trailer.

He added a fiberglass horse as a model inside his trailer -a real living horse would have been too much trouble to take care of- and was very successful, not with the trailers, but with the horse, he got dozens of orders for fiberglass horses.

He set up his company, Prewitt Fiberglass Animals on 4519 Manhattan Beach Blvd. in Lawndale California and made fiberglass cows, calves, bears, roosters and cowboys riding bucking broncos.

In the early 1960s he got an order for a giant Paul Bunyan from a restaurant in Sacramento, California, so he built a mold and made the statue. When he was ready to deliver it, the customer cancelled the order so Bob drove down Route 66 seeking a possible customer, he found it at the Paul Bunyan Café in Flagstaff, Arizona (which we describe below).

Paul Bunyan

Bunayn is part of America's folklore, he was a giant lumberjack with herculean strength and accompanied by his loyal "Babe"n the Blue Ox.

The loggers in the North American forests created the myth and the oral tradition was put down in paper and made popular in 1916 by author William B. Laughead (1882-1958).

Business boom

Enter Steve Dashew who operated a boat building business (they too are built in fiberglass and polyester) in Venice, California. They were looking for a way to keep their company busy during the winter low-season, so they approached Bob Prewitt in 1963 and bought his animal molds and the big Paul Bunyan.

Dashew's company, International Fiberglass at 4054 Glencoe Ave. Venice, California soon began selling more and more of the titanic Paul Bunyans. Back in the 1960s, these statues sold for $1,800 to $2,800 each (in 2019 dollars this is equivalent to 14,000 to 22,000).

In 1966 Dashew applied for a patent (US patent 3368827) covering a trailer that improved transport and emplacement of these large "display devices", simplifyng the process of placing them in an upright position at the desired location. The image below shows the patent's design:

A trailer patent, for transporting and erecting a Muffler Man

Muffler Man on a trailer a drawing from a patent
Muffler Man patent sketch.

Dashew produced hundreds of these Muffler Men and also continued making animals (including dinosaurs, tigers and Yogi Bears).

Demise of the Muffler Men

But then came the OPEC oil embargo in 1973: the Arab oil exporting companies retaliated against the U.S. and western nations by stopping oil exports to the United States.

Oil prices quadrupled, which led to higher gas prices. Gasoline was scarce and expensive. The embargo coupled to inflation and high interest rates caused the 1973-75 recession.

The gas guzzling cars of the 1970s were very inefficient so the embargo helped promote the use of more fuel efficient cars: from Japan and Europe.

Car dealers, gas stations and auto repair shops were hit by the recession and the market for outsized fiberglass titans shrank abruptly.

Dashew was also hit by the economic crisis, he stopped producing in 1974 and sold the company in 1976. The molds for the large statues were destroyed shortly after.

The Muffler Men on Route 66: where are they?

We describe the extant Muffler Men that you can still see along Route 66, starting in Illinois and heading west all the way to Los Angeles.

These giant statues include several classics that have stood for many years and also some recent additions. Learn where to find them during your Route 66 road trip.

Illinois

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Wilmington's Gemini Giant

810 East Baltimore St., Wilmington, IL
This giant is located in the town of Wilmington, see this Location map showing its position.

The famous Gemini Man is a "Muffler Man", which was a popular type of roadside advertising in the 1960s. It is a 30 foot-tall (9.2 m) fiberglass statue, one of several that are located on Route 66.

Gemini Giant, viewed close up in Wilmington, Illinois

Gemini Giant close up in Wilmington Route 66
Gemini Giant on Route 66 in Wilmington, Illinois

Its name comes from the Gemini Project, a 1960s NASA space program.

Project Gemini

NASA ran this program from 1961 to 1966 it employed the Gemini spacecraft which could carry two astronauts (its predecessor, Mercury could only carry one. Apollo carried three).

The 12 missions flew in low Earth orbit trajectories and developed the techniques later used during the Apollo Moon missions such as working outside the spacecraft (extra-vehicular activity), orbital docking and rendeazvous maneuvers (EVA), and pioneered the orbital maneuvers necessary to achieve space rendezvous and docking. With these new techniques proven by Gemini, Apollo could pursue its prime mission without doing these fundamental exploratory operations.

The allure of Space Age

The "Space Age" period was one of great excitement and novelty, technology captured everybody's minds. This "muffler man" was a modified Paul Bunyan, who switched the ovesized axe for a 9 foot long silver space capsule.

The shirt, jeans and boots were all painted green (not at all the color of the Gemini space suits - which were a of a metalized silver color). And the space helmet resembles a welding mask, very unlike those used by the astronauts.

It was named by one of Wilmington's schoolchildren, Cathy Thomas who suggested the name "Gemini Giant" in a contest to name it. The Launching Pad closed in 2013 and reopened recently.

The restaurant originally opened as the "Dairy Delight" (or Dair-Delite) and was run by John and Berenice Korele but changed its name in 1965, it adopted a "Space Age" name: The Launching Pad.

It was therefore fitting to have a giant Muffler Man dressed up like an astronaut. It cost $3,500 back in 1965 (about $26,000 in 2018 dollars adjusted for inflation).

See it below and compare its size to the car driving along Route 66.

The Gemini giant from afar, compare size with trees and car!

The Gemini giant from afar in Wilmington Route 66
The Gemini giant from afar, Wilmington, Illinois. Click for street view

Drive west along Route 66 to Atlanta, here is the second Muffler Man on Route 66:

Atlanta: Muffler Man Holding Hot Dog

This giant is located on Route 66 in Atlanta, Illinois.

Route 66 Attraction

115 SW Arch St. Atlanta, Il. See this Map showing its exact location.

This Muffler Man holding a hot dog (a giant hot dog)in its hands has quite a unique story behind it.

Muffler Man Holding Hot Dog in Atlanta, Illinois

Muffler Man Holding Hot Dog in Atlanta Route 66
Muffler Man Holding Hot Dog in Atlanta, Illinois. Click for St. view
View of the Hot Dog Giant when it was located in Cicero Illinois

Hot Dog Giant in Cicero Illinois, Atlanta, Il. Mykl Roventine. Click to enlarge

Standing 19 feet tall, Atlanta's "Muffler Man, holding a hot dog" is also known as Paul Bunyon (yes, Bunyon with an "o" and not Bunyan with an "a") is a relatively newcomer to town, because its original location was closer to Chicago: it came to Atlanta from Cicero, Illinois.

From Cicero to Atlanta

Atlanta's Muffler Man originally stood on Route 66 in Cicero Illinois (6150 W Ogden Ave., Cicero - map).

It was installed at the Bunyon's hotdog stand in Cicero, (see image).

This stand was owned by Hamlet Stephens and he purchased the giant fiberglass statue to promote his business back in 1966.

To avoid copyright issues, he deliberately spelled its name "Bunyon".

This "Paul Bunyon" held a gigantic hotdog in its hands and stood over Stephens' stand for 38 years.

In 2002 the stand closed and in 2003 the Bunyon Giant was moved to Atlanta. Stephens died in 2012 but his work lives on.

The original building is now a "Tio Loco" Mexican food outlet as you can see below in the "Then and Now" photo sequence:

Original site of the Hot Dog Muffler man nowadays in Cicero US66

Original site of the Hot Dog Muffler man nowadays, Cicero, Il. Click for street view

Vintage view of the Hot Dog Muffler man in Cicero US66

Vintage view of the Hot Dog Muffler man in Cicero, Il. From the wayside exhibit in Atlanta Illinois

Drive westwards into Springfield IL to visit the third Muffler Man.

Lauterbatch Muffler Man

1569 Wabash Ave. Springfield

Erected in 1962 (See location map), the Gigantic Tire Man was first displayed as advertising in the tire business owned by Russ Lewis on State and Laurel in Springfield Illinois. He sold it shortly after. to the McGaughey Brothers, owners of the Roundup Cafe and Motel in Farmersville, on Route 66 south of Springfield.

The Roundup had it until the motel closed in 1978 when I-55 was completed and their business lost customers; the Lauterbach giant still survives (having changed the tire for an American flag) in the parking lot of the Lauterbatch Tire and auto service.

Lauterbatch giant Muffler Man in Springfield, Illinois

Lauterbatch giant Muffler Man in Springfield Route 66
Lauterbatch giant Muffler Man in Springfield, Illinois. Credits, click for street view

Livingston: Uniroyal Gal, Beach Boy and a Muffler Man

The Pink Elephant Antiques shop in Livingston IL has plenty of larger than life statues, including a muffler man and a Uniroyal Gal.

Uniroyal Gal and Beach Guy

Large fiberglass sculptures and ice cream cone with a vintage diner next to a red brick building
Twistee Treat Diner, Livingston, Illinois. Credits

Uniroyal Gal

Uniroyal began in 1892 as the United States Rubber Company, it adopted the name Uniroyal Inc. in 1961 and in 1990 was acquired by Michelin. In the late 1960s it launched "Miss Uniroyal", an 18 foot-tall fiberglass statue that held up a Uniroyal tire in her upraised left hand and a bikini, later toned down to a less provocative skirt and blouse.

The public knew them as the "Uniroyal Gal". She was produced by The International Fiberglass Co, of Venice, California. Hundreds of these 250 pound sculptures were produced before the advertising campaign ended around 1970.

As no copyright had been registered, International Fiberglass kept on producing them as "Miss America". The typical 1960s Jackie Kennedy styled flipped bob haircut gives the Uniroyal Gal a vintage look.

This "gal" has a Route 66 shield on her apron and also has superhuman measurements (108-72-108); if she had the height of an average American woman (5' 4") she'd measure 32 - 21.3 - 32.

Uniroyal gal fiberglass statue, left hand in the air, V-neck pink blouse and a Route 66 shield on a white apron over a blue skirt against a brick wall

Uniroyal Gal. Livingston IL. Credits

Beach boy statue, ice cone in left hand, blue bathing trunks,T-shirt painted on chest brick wall behind

Beach Boy. Livingston IL. Credits

Beach Boy

To the right of the Uniroyal gal, this "Beach Boy." It was produced by a company based in Sparta, Wisconsin, called Sculptured Advertising in the 1970s. They are now known as FAST Corp. and specialize in fiberglass statues. (item #8001 in their catalog) he is taller than his female companion, standing 26 feet tall.

He sports bathing trunks and an ice cone in his left hand. There are several versions about where he came from (neighboring Benld, or a bar in the Soulard district of St. Louis), but here he is, on Route 66.

field, trees in the background, Route 66 in the front, and a muffler man with an orange shirt and jeans, empty handed

Harley Davidson Muffler Man, Livingston IL. Click image for Street view

Trump statue

On the right side of the door, following the Beach Boy is a gigantic statue of former President Donald Trump with MAGA hat, dark suit, red tie and a white shirt, it looks like a modified muffler man to which Trump's face was added.

Harley Davidson Muffler Man

On the southern side of the property, facing Route 66 is its Harley Davidson Muffler Man, wearing a short-sleeved orange shirt with the words "Harley Davidson" written across his chest. The sides of his black boots have the Harvey Davidson shield-logo on their outer sides.

He is one of Route 66's 15 foot-tall eye-catchers from the past. It was made by International Fiberglass. This one was inside the shop in the past and wore different clothes (blue shirt, gray pants and his name was Hank.

The concrete base is dated 2010.

Missouri

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Mega Mayor muffler man

muffler man with golf ball in his hand

"Mega Mayor" muffler man, Uranus Missouri, St. Robert US 66. Credits

In St. Robert, MO., this muffler man is part of the Uranus Missouri complex, a weird attraction with plenty of Route 66 quirky sights (dinosaurs, the world's largest belt buckle, and more!).

It has added the "Mega Mayor" as another attraction. It was placed in its current position in March 2021. It is a 22 foot-tall Muffler Man with a sash across its chest, and its shirt, bow tie, hat, pants and shoes emblazond with the stars and stripes, carries a yellow golf ball in one hand and a putter in the other.

It has been made to resemble Louie Keen, the self proclaimed "Mayor of Uranus".

It stands facing the freeway on the western side of the property, to the right of Route 66 (map), and guards a 18-hole putt-putt mini golf. It is seconded by another gigantic (13 foot-tall) Walkiria-looking Miss Tiffany statue.

muffler man with chef hat, fork and spatula in his hands

Carl the Cheff, Springfield MO. credits.

Springfield's "Carl the Chef"

A new addition, Carl the Cheff is located at the Route 66 Food Truck Park in Springfield MO, 1530 E. St. Louis Street (see map).

He is wearing a chef hat (or "toque blanche", French for "white hat") and holds a large spatula and oversized meat fork. The giant is the work of Mark Cline and was placed here in February 2020. Don't miss it! stop for some pictures on your road trip.

Kansas

Galena: Freckles

Frecs a 19 foot-tall pseudo-muffler man

Frecs, a 19 foot-tall statue

Entering the town of Galena, Kansas from the East, coming from Joplin Missouri, you should take the original Route 66 (the 1926 - 1961 alignment) which is the continuation of Missouri's "Old Route 66 Boulevard".

In Kansas its name changes to "Front Street" and it enters the Galena from the northeast.

Route 66 crosses the the railway using the Historic viaduct built in 1923, which is over 200 ft. long. The bridge predates Route 66 by three years, and was chosen to become part of its alignment when the Mother Road was created in 1926 as a safe way across the tracks.

At the foot of the bridge, on the western side of the road (to your right if you are coming from Missouri), is the "Muffler Man". This is a map showing its location.

Technically this statue is not a Muffler Man in the pure sense of the word: this 19-foot tall muffler man was built by Renee Charles because there were no muffler men on Route 66 in Kansas.

Charles named it Frecs, short for Freckles, after his miner grandfather. Ths statue holds a miner's pick axe in its left hand.

It is, in his words, a poor-man's version of a Muffler Man, but it is worth the effort, as it gives Galena and Kansas their own kitschy Muffler Man.

Drive on and head west and then south into Oklahoma.

Oklahoma

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Tulsa's gigantic statues

In Tulsa has two oversized statues, one is colossal, the other is a Muffler Man.

Giant statue of oil drill worker

Golden Driller, 76 ft. tall. Credits

Golden Driller

An Oklahoma State Monument: Americana and Kitsch

21st St. and Pittsburgh Ave. Tulsa County Fairgrounds.
The first Golden Driller was built for the 1953 International Petroleum Exposition as a symbol for the "Oil Capital of the World". It was such a success that it was used again in 1959.

Its owner and sponsor, the Mid-Continent Supply donated it to the Tulsa County Fairgrounds Trust Authority and built the current and permanent version for the 1966 Expo.

It is 76 ft. (23 m) tall and designed to withstand winds of up to 200 mph. It contains 2.5 miles of steel rods and mesh and is covered in concrete. Its hand rests on a real oil derrick.

It is said to be the largest free-standing statue in the world and weighs 43,500 lb.

See its street view. It isn't a Muffler Man beause it is made in concrete, yet its purpose was to serve as an eyecatcher to promote the 1953 Oil Expo.

There is however another gigantic statue in Tulsa, and this one is a "real" Muffler Man and a modern one too!

Buck Atom: Space Cowboy - a Muffler Man

1347 E 11th St. Tulsa (map).
This old gas station has been refurbished and is now a shop selling Route 66 memorabilia: Buck Atom's Cosmic Curios.

The store owner, Mary Beth Babcock conceived Buck Atom, the Cosmic Cowboy when she operated a downtown boutique (2006 - 2016), and she made him something real: a modern day muffler man.

The brand new statue is 21 feet tall (6.4 m) and is the work of Joel Baker (he owns American Giants, a company that restores Muffler Men) and artists Mark Cline and Chris Wollard. They worked together to create the statue.

Buck Atom, a modern Muffler Man in Tulsa Oklahoma
Buck Atom, the Space Cowboy Muffler Man in Tulsa, OK.

Calumet Indian Trading Post Muffler Man

indian statue with bare chest and headdress

Howe Motors Muffler Man Indian, in Clinton. Credits. Click for St. view (2008)

This Muffler Man is an "Indian", located in Calumet. It is on the south side of Route 66, south of I-40s, next to its South Frontage Rd. in the SE corner.
At 825 S Walbaum Rd Calumet, OK

This statue used to be located at a Nissan auto dealership, "Howe Motors" in Clinton Oklahoma, fifty miles to the west.
The photo shows it at its original loation, in the Nissan dealership in Clinton. It had the word "Howe" on its belt buckle.

Now it stands in front of the "Indian Trading Post". The buckle now sports a Native American design.

At the store you can see genuine Native American handcrafts: moccasins, dreamcatchers, pottery, blankets, jewelry and souvenirs.

Below you can see it at its current location in Calumet:

Indian muffler man with arm upright and headdress
"Indian" muffler man at Indian Trading Post Calumet. Credits

Texas

Towns and Cities along Route 66 in Texas

Second Ammendment Cowboy

Cadillac Ranch RV Park

On the western side of Amarillo, in Soncy stands the giant cowboy "muffler man" and some well kept cadillacs. See this map with directions from Soncy.

giant cowbowy muffler man with hat
Second Ammendment Cowboy. Soncy, Amarillo. credits. Click for St. view

Glenn Goode owned a custom fiberglass company on Walnut Bend, in Gainesville TX. He recreated giant cowboys starting in the 1970s. He later made molds.

It is called the "Second Ammendment Cowboy" because it was used for target practice. Goode later repaired it.

It originally arrived to Amarillo in 2004 and stood by a restaurant until 2014, when it moved to its current location.

The 22 foot-tall cowboy wears a bright yellow shirt that proclaims he is the "2nd Amendment Cowboy", it has blue jeans and a Stetson hat. He is a Route 66 Modern Muffler Man.

The marker looks like a real Texas Historical Commission one, but it isn't. It reads: "2nd Amendment to the Constitution of The United States of America. A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.
A free people ought not only be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government. George Washington
."

While you are here, don't forget to visit the three Cadillac cars. One is pink, another beige and third is blue. They are parked on angled Cadillac cars on wedges outside the RV campground.

New Mexico

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Giant Paul Buynayn atop a pole

May Cafe Muffler Man. Credits. Click for St. View

This is a hidden classic, recently restored, and located in Albuquerque.

May Cafe Muffler Man

11 Louisiana Blvd SE, Albuquerque. (Map).

The "Paul Bunh Yan" is just south of Central Avenue (Route 66), on Louisiana Blvd SE. May Cafe is a Vietnamese cuisine restaurant in a small mall.

The Paul Bunyan is perched atop the roof, May Café was given the Route 66 Heritage Award for getting the statue restored.

The statue had deteriorated and even spent some times without its arms, but has been fully restored and now sports both arms and its axe.

Muffler Man with hat on top of car dealer roof

"Dude Man" muffler man in Gallup US66 NM. Click for St. view

Dude Man in Gallup

In Gallup, on what was the eastbound lanes of Route 66 until 1959, and later became Alternate Highway 66, is another muffler man.

Located on the NE corner of S 5th St. and W Coal Ave. on the roof of John's Used Cars (416 W Coal Ave).
He sports a cowboy hat and a revolver in a holster he is known as "Dude Man".

Arizona

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

As we mentioned further up, the first Muffler Man to be made was the "Paul Bunyan" that Bob Prewitt sold to the Paul Bunyan Cafe on Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Flagstaff's Muffler Man

218 S Milton Rd, Flagstaff, AZ

Giant Lumberjack at a Cafe in Flagstaff. Postcard

A vintage 1960s postcard of the Lumberjack. credits

The original location of this Muffler Man, was at the restaurant which is now known as Granny's Closet (see its location map).

This cafe was built in the early 1960s and at that time it was named "Paul Bunyan Café", later it was renamed as "The Lumberjack Café.

Next to its main entrance stood a 20-foot tall fiberglass lumberjack (6.1 m).

The postcard depicted in the image proclaimed: "The Lumberjack Cafe Welcomes you to FLAGSTAFF 7000 feet above the sea - 7000 sights to see Delicious Pancakes, Waffles and Breakfast "Heavenly Fried Chicken" Famous $1. 66 Dinners LOOK FOR THE BIG 20 FOOT LUMBERJACK PLEASE DRIVE CAREFULLY - COME SEE US SOON".

The phrase "LOOK FOR THE BIG 20 FOOT LUMBERJACK..." is a clear indication of its advertising effect, a landmark to attract new customers.

Present Location

However you won't see it on the sidewalk of Milton Road. The giant has moved to the Skydome at the Northern Arizona University (NAU); now it is the mascot of the NAU lumberjacks.

Nowadays, as you can see in the image below, his jacket and cap sport different colors (See a street view).

Muffler Man at the Northern Arizona University
Muffler Man nowadays at the NAU, Flagstaff, AZ.

Now head west and drive to Los Angeles, California:

California

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Chicken Boy in Los Angeles

Chicken boy head on a muffler man

Zoom, the head of "Chicken boy". credits

5558 N Figueroa St. Highland Park, Los Angeles, California. See this Map with its location.

This "Statue of Liberty of Los Angeles" is a statue placed on the rooftop of a Design Studio and Gallery. It has a human body and a chicken's head that measures 22 ft. tall (6.7 m).

It dates back to the 1960s when it was the sign of a restaurant that sold fried chicken, located on Broadway, LA. It was an adapted big-man fiberglass statue onto which the chicken's head was placed. More recently it was moved to its present location.

The Chicken Boy

The Chicken Boy a giant statue with a hen head, in Los Angeles, Route 66 California
View of The Chicken Boy statue in Los Angeles. Google
Click on image for Street View

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Credits

Banner image: Hackberry General Store, Hackberry, Arizona by Perla Eichenblat
Kansas Historic Route 66 Corridor Management Plan 2011
Jack DeVere Rittenhouse, (1946). A Guide Book to Highway 66.

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