I love finding weird and wonderful things in unlikely places and who would have imagined that Tulsa, Oklahoma would have a jolly green gold giant. The Golden Digger, Tulsa Oklahoma stands 23 meters high and weighs 19,700kg. He looks more like an Oscar proudly guarding the entrance to the Tulsa Expo Center.
Tulsa Golden Digger – Biggest Free-Standing Statue in the World
The giant who is the biggest free-standing statue on the planet was created in 1953 for a petroleum expo (IPE). Following his rave reviews, the stud was brought back for an encore at the 1959 IPE but was given a complete makeover. The radiant gentleman’s features were refined and his hand which used to make an “ok” sign was reshaped into a wave. His leg was raised and the figure was positioned climbing a derrick (the top half of an oil rig that looks like an electricity pylon but is actually a lifting device).
Again the crowds loved the golden boy and when he was donated to the Tulsa County Fairgrounds Trust authority they once again decided to give him a serious face lift. He was nipped and tucked and made resilient to the strong winds of Tulsa. He was put into a standing position with his one bent arm leaning on a derrick which was brought from Seminole, OK.
Golden Digger or Driller?
The Golden Driller was ready to take up his post outside the Tulsa Expo Center in 1966. Over the years the gentle giant (who is now a pensioner) has been dressed up in ties and shirts, had his belt buckle changed, been shot at, repainted, vandalized, and overexposed to the flash of tourist cameras. The Tulsa Golden Digger has become a symbol of Tulsa’s oil heritage and a much-loved senior citizen. Since 1979 the Digger of Gold (who actually would be digging for oil) has been the official State Monument. And by the way, his shoe size is 393DDD.
Where: Tulsa State Fairground, 4145 E, 21st Street South, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Read about more unusual things to do in the USA.
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They actually used to take the statue on tour to other Expo grounds before this became its perminant home.
Super good!
The city were right to save it.
Great write-up, I’ve been there and it really is a sight to see.
In the park accross the street and south of the BOK Tower is a giant globe (or miniature earth) with several bronze statues surrounding it.
From this park, looking south, you can see a building with a long stretch of large painted murals which commemorate “Dia de los Muertos” at Living Arts