In the early 2000s in tiny Walls, Mississippi, just over the border from Memphis, Tennessee, this fellow, called Big John, was spotted flat on his back with an inexplicable hole cut in his chest. His days as a "Muffler Man" seemed numbered. But a decade later, he was back on his feet, repaired and repainted in front of a nondescript group of stores. He certainly wasn't promoting mufflers, if he ever did, but he looked robust again. (Muffler Men are large moulded fiberglass sculptures that are placed as advertising icons, roadside attractions or for decorative purposes. They often hold full-sized car mufflers, tires, or other items promoting nearby businesses.) Photo by Carol Highsmith, 2016.