Entry No. 35 — the Wichita file — filed under: muffler man
Big Greaser Muffler Man & 'Half a Big John'
Out front of the Hutch Vintage Market, "Big Greaser" — a Mark Cline-crafted 14-foot Muffler Man decked out in 1950s greaser style and perched atop a truck — looms next to "Big Lonnie," the grinning disembodied upper half of a 1960s Big John grocery mascot cast from the original International Fiberglass molds. Both giants were installed in March 2022 and are visible from the street.
The move: Pull up, photograph the absurd duo outside, then spend an hour or two digging through 200+ vendors inside the vintage market hunting for cheap oddities — old records, vintage kitsch, estate jewelry — and see who can find the strangest item under $10.
📍 Before you go It's a day-trip roughly 50 minutes northwest of Wichita, in Hutchinson. The two fiberglass giants stand out front of Hutch Vintage Market at Uptown Hutch (the former Hutchinson Mall), housed in a converted big-box anchor store off East 11th Avenue — easy to spot, with a big mall lot offering ample free parking. Because they're street-visible, the photo op is free and works even when the market is closed; daylight gives you the best shots of the greaser and grinning half-mascot. The 200+ vendors and a coffee nook are inside. Make a real day of it by pairing nearby Hutchinson staples: the underground Strataca salt mine and the Smithsonian-affiliated Cosmosphere.
- 📍 Hutchinson
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 1500 E. 11th Ave., Hutchinson, KS 67501 (Hutch Vintage Market, Uptown Shopping Center)
Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Roadside America · hutchvintagemarket.com · stuckeys.com
last checked: 2026-06-07