Jeb, Old West Mini-Golf Muffler Man

Hochatown, Oklahoma

Type: Cowboy (custom, 23 ft. tall)

Arm position: Standard

Accessories: golf club, Stetson Hat

Nickname: Jeb

Hochatown BBQ restaurant owner Tom Verace recalls childhood visits to the vacation mecca of Wisconsin Dells, eating at a restaurant where a live Black Bart character sauntered around in cowboy duds. A half century later, Tom runs his own cluster of tourist-friendly businesses north of Broken Bow: a BBQ restaurant, gift shop, ice cream parlor, and an 18-hole mini-golf with a wild west theme (featuring frontier town buildings populated by dummies such as the sheriff and an undertaker).

The mascot art for the golf course had always been a cowboy with a tall black hat and a droopy mustache, so it served as the inspiration for a custom Muffler Man creation. Tom had the figure manufactured by Bell Plastics in Hayward, California. The statue molds are based on classic M-Men that Bell Plastics keeps in their collection, along with custom elements -- the exaggerated black stetson, a neckerchief, and a mustache. The paint job artfully sculpts shadows, clothing creases and wrinkles.

The giant, named "Jeb," holds a large golf club, and took a spot on a 5-ft. platform at the entrance to the mini-golf in March 2017.