Paul, Ole, and Otto: Minnesota’s Iconic Statues Celebrate Diverse Heritage

For many travelers, the journey to the destination is just part of the adventure. That’s why so many love to road trip and the freedom to see some sights along the way. Minnesota is rich with quirky roadside attractions, many of them marked as “the largest,” “tallest,” or other superlatives. There’s the world’s largest ball of twine made by one man in Darwin and the iconic bright yellow Minnesota’s largest candy store near Jordan. There’s also the world’s largest Dilly bar at a Dairy Queen in Moorhead , and giant fish in Cass County . Many of Minnesota’s oversized outdoor statues honor characters and wildlife specific to the state, which make them our favorites. Make a stop at one of these top spots for a photo op and history lesson on the next road trip—or make a challenge of it and visit them all.

Visit Bemidji

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox – Bemidji

Perhaps the most well-known of Minnesota’s roadside attractions, fictional lumberjack legend Paul Bunyan and his hefty sidekick, Babe the Blue Ox, have been welcoming visitors to the Bemidji area since 1937. Red-and-black plaid clad Paul stands about 18 feet tall, while the bright blue Babe is approximately 10 feet high.

One tall tale about Paul credits him with creating Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes as his footprints across the land filled with rainwater. These two statues originally were built to kick off a winter carnival and also to attract motorists passing by as automobile travel gained popularity. Today, they stand guard at Bemidji’s impressive Tourist Information Center along the shoreline of Lake Bemidji. The Kodak Company once reported Paul and Babe were the “second most photographed statues in the United States” (behind Mount Rushmore in adjoining South Dakota) and the statues were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Bemidji in northern Minnesota is not the only place to find Paul Bunyan tributes, though. From Maine to California, a number of larger-than-life memorials honor tall Paul. In Minnesota, a talking Paul and Babe welcome guests to Paul Bunyan Land near Brainerd, while in Akeley, guests can climb into Paul’s extended hand before visiting the nearby historical museum.

Paul Bunyan Park, 300 Bemidji Ave. N., Bemidji

Blue Earth Area Chamber of Commerce Convention & Visitors Bureau

Jolly Green Giant – Blue Earth

Sticking with the color theme, another oversized statue stands tall in Blue Earth, commemorating the Green Giant food brand’s mascot. The Jolly Green Giant also has a sidekick, much like Babe, named Sprout. The history of this attraction dates to 1928 when the Minnesota Valley Canning Company asked an advertising agency to help with the mascot. The now-famous ad man Leo Burnett got the assignment and dressed the mascot in a leafy green, healthy wardrobe some call a toga and gave him the friendly “jolly” moniker. Minnesota Valley changed its name to Green Giant in 1950 and kept the mascot’s friendly “Ho, ho, ho, Green Giant” greeting alive in marketing materials nationwide. In 1977, a local radio station owner asked Green Giant for permission to build a statue of the mascot and raised funds to complete the project, which debuted in Green Giant Statue Park on July 6, 1979. ​​​​At 55 feet tall, the Jolly Green Giant is Minnesota’s tallest statues and also has ranked among the top 10 biggest statues in the United States. Blue Earth is a two-hour drive south of the Twin Cities near the Iowa border.

Green Giant Statue Park, 1126 Green Giant Lane, Blue Earth

ExploreAlex.com

Big Ole Statue – Alexandria

The shield that the 28-foot-tall Big Ole statue holds in this city in central Minnesota about two hours from the Twin Cities proclaims, “Alexandria: Birthplace of America” in reference to the discovery of the Kensington Runestone nearby in 1898. Many argue the Runestone, an inscribed rock that Swedish farmer Olof Ohman is said to have found in a field, is evidence that Vikings visited the area the 1300s, before Christopher Columbus and others arrived in the New World. Others debate the authenticity. Either way, Big Ole’s Vikings gear, including a horned helmet and belted sword, are a nod to the area’s Scandinavian ancestors and Norse roots.

For those who like to keep tabs on their Minnesota statues or check out the scene before a visit, Alexandria maintains a live webcam on Big Ole. For a modern-day selfie with the statue, have someone take a screengrab from the webcam while visiting.

Big Ole Central Park, 200 Broadway St., Alexandria

Minnevangelist

Otto the Otter – Fergus Falls

Otter Tail County, three hours northwest of the Twin Cities, is just the place to check multiple roadside statues—most of them animal-themed—off the bucket list. Of course, there’s the friendly mammal mascot Otto the Otter in county seat Fergus Falls. The 15-foot tall and 40-foot long statue sparks smiles and playful fun at his home in Adams Park. But Otter Tail is also home to Rothsay, the tiny town that celebrates its status as prairie chicken capital of Minnesota with a 13-foot statue , along with the world’s largest (always!) pelican, loon, and turkey statues. There’s also Nyberg Sculpture Park in Vining, created by Ken Nyberg, for additional roadside art to explore.

Adams Park, S. Burlington Ave., Fergus Falls

Brett Whaley

Hermann the German – New Ulm

An easy two-hour drive from Minneapolis, New Ulm in south central Minnesota is known for Schell’s Brewery and the area’s popular Oktoberfest celebration. New Ulm is known for its German founders and boasts one of the country’s tallest bronze statues (32 feet), which stands on top of a 102-foot monument. To honor those German roots, a local architect and surveyor named Julius Berndt suggested the statue of Hermann the Cheruscan, a war hero whose army liberated Germany from Roman rule in 9 A.D. A massive Hermann tribute exists in Detmold, Germany, as well and the New Ulm monument was erected in 1897. The more than 4,000-pound statue was designated by the U.S. Congress in 2000 as a symbol to the German heritage of the area.

10 Monument St., New Ulm

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