ST. LOUIS – Missouri is widely referred to as the “Show-Me State” Although the state is widely known for the Gateway Arch and its wide variety of caves, you may be surprised to see other monuments in the state that many would think to be quite random.
Whether you are crossing the state from St. Louis or Kansas City, there are a variety of enormous figures that visitors have the opportunity to see. Check out some of the large monuments you may find when traveling through Missouri.
World’s Largest Goose
Sumner, Mo.
Maxie the World’s Largest Goose is a 40-foot-tall fiberglass statue with a wingspan that stretches over 60 feet. The statue, which the late David C. Jackson built in 1974, honors Sumner as the Wild Goose Capital of the World.
In an effort to honor David C. Jackson, a GoFundMe account was created in hopes of raising money to provide repairs and restoration to the 50-year-old statue.
Missouri’s Largest Fork Monument
Springfield, Mo.
The 35-foot tall fork weighs over 11 tons and once stood in front of a restaurant before it closed down and was relocated to the front of the firm Noble & Associates’ office.
The monument was notably shown in the music video of Chappell Roan’s popular song ‘HOT TO GO!’, showcasing different attractions in her hometown of Springfield.
World’s Largest Spool of Thread
Hamilton, Mo.
The World’s Largest Spool of Thread, which is located on the corner of the Missouri Quilt Museum, debuted in 2018. A local craftsman created it. The giant spool of thread is a landmark in the city and sits 22 feet tall, containing over 1 million yards of thread.
World’s Largest Amoco Sign
St. Louis, Mo.
Sitting on the intersection on Clayton Road and Skinker Boulevard in Forest Park, the big Amoco Sign is 40 feet tall and 60 feet wide.
Standard Oil installed the sign in the 1950s, and it originally read “Standard” before combining with the American Oil Company and becoming known as “AMOCO” in 1985.
World’s Largest Shuttlecocks
Kansas City, Mo.
The World’s Largest Shuttlecocks features four large figures, each standing 18 feet tall. The large shuttlecocks can be found scattered throughout the lawn of the Kansas City Museum.
The large shuttlecocks are based on a painting by Frederic Remington that depicted Native Americans wearing feathered headdresses on the museum’s grounds that resembled a grassy ball court.
Missouri’s Largest Rocking Chair
Cuba, Mo.
Installed on April Fool’s Day in 2008, the monument is now the second largest rocking chair. The giant chair sits at 42 feet tall and was built to break the Guinness World record for large rocking chairs.
A rocking chair in Casey, Illinois, that is 56 feet tall took the record from the record chair in 2015.
World’s Largest Small Electrical Appliance Museum
Diamond, Mo.
Although this museum features some of the smallest electrical appliances in the world, the museum itself is the largest to hold these distinctive appliances.
Initially beginning as an interest by Richard Larrison, the museum in southwest Missouri opened in 2008 and features over 3,500 small electric appliances, including hot plates, blenders, popcorn poppers, fans, and more.
World’s Largest Chess Piece
St. Louis, Mo.
The World’s Largest Chess Piece is stationed in St. Louis at the World Chess Hall of Fame and was certified by the Guinness World Records in 2018. The giant king piece stands 20 feet tall, nearly 53 times larger than a regular chess king piece.
The Big Pump
King City, Mo.
Introduced in 1937, the giant gas pump stands 21 feet tall and houses a service station office and two small bathrooms.
The once popular gas pump was originally stationed in Maryland, Mo., until it ran out of gas due to the 1979 gas strike. Maryville wanted to tear the pump down, but the structure was saved and moved 40 miles southeast to King City.
Giant Community Bookshelf
Kansas City, Mo.
The Giant Community Bookshelf sits at the south wall of the Kansas City Central Library parking garage. The Giant Book Shelf features over 40 book titles, including To Kill a Mockingbird and Charlotte’s Web, with each book standing at 26 feet tall and 9 feet wide.
World’s Largest Eight Ball
Tipton, Mo.
The Largest Eight Ball in the World came to be after a 160-foot water tower was painted over as an eight ball in 1968 to serve as an ad for pool table company, Fischer Manufacturing Company.
When the company shut down, the large eight ball was replaced with a regular white water tower from another company. When the city of Tipton regained the property of the tower in 1999, the residents rallied together to get the giant eight ball back, calling it a landmark for the community and for visitors.
Giant Vess Bottle
St. Louis, Mo.
In the early 1950s, Vess Bottling Company, a St. Louis staple, created a large replica Vess Soda Bottle that stood at the corner of Hampton and Gravois Boulevards. Standing over 25 feet tall, the giant bottle is designated as a city landmark and now sits at the corner of 6th and O’Fallon Streets after being found in storage in the late 1980’s.
Giant Needle and Button
Kansas City, Mo.
The jumbo needle and button, which was installed in 2002, sits outside the Garment District Place in Kansas City. The large monument depicts a giant needle being stitched into a large button and represents the history of Kansas City’s Garment District, which once made 25% of the clothing in the U.S.
World’s Largest Roll of Toilet Paper
Branson, Mo.
One of the world’s largest rolls of toilet paper is on display at the Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Branson location. The huge roll was created by Charmin as a promotional item back in 2011 and was eventually transferred to the Branson location to be displayed after being wrapped in Cincinnati, Ohio.
According to Ripley’s Believe or Not!’s social media, the giant roll stands over 8 feet tall, has a diameter over 9 feet, and weighs close to two tons.
Former World’s Largest Pecan
Brunswick, Mo.
Listed as the Pecan Capital of Missouri, Brunswick, Missouri, is home to the world’s largest 20th-century pecan due to the town’s wide variety of pecan farms. The large pecan is 12 feet long, has a diameter of 7 feet, and weighs over 12,000 lbs.
The large pecan is no longer the largest pecan in the world, being beaten by another large nut in Seguin, Texas, in 2011.
Turtle Playground
St. Louis, Mo.
Turtle Playground sits on the southern edge of Forest Park and features various sculptures of turtles and a snake that children of all ages can play on.
The turtle sculptures were created in 1996 by Bob Cassilly, who also founded St. Louis’ City Museum, designed by Richard Claybour, and funded by Sonya Glassberg as a gift for children in St. Louis.
