Tuesday, February 10, 2015

THE JUNK ART CAR OF BRANSON

 

In Branson, Missouri there used to be an art car parked next to an Old Time photo studio and T-shirt shop on Highway 76. It sat across the street from the Grand Country Square, but in recent years it has disappeared.  I'm not sure when this jalopy of hodgepodge showed up on the Branson strip. I have no clue who the artist/owner was. I really don't know zilch about this car. But for whatever reason, it kind of fascinated me. To the chagrin of the First Lady of Neato Coolville, I always made a point to acknowledge it when we drove by. "Hey, there's the junkmobile!" Maybe it reminded me of all those goofy cars featured in the pages of SuperMag, that I used to read as a kid. Also, it reminded me of Memory Jugs from way back in the day. In April 2008, I hurriedly stopped and snapped some photos of this mosaic mess of a car. I always intended to go back and take some better and more detailed shots. These will have to do.


Doesn't it look like it crashed through a flea market and everything stuck to it? Or better yet, a flea market barfed all over it. Yeah, the last analogy seems to fit it better.


Like a nightmare scene out of Toy Story. Lots of toys and action figures sit permanently affixed to the car. Two He-Man figures, a headless Prince Adam and Leech watch the Branson tourists drive on by. (Uh...well... not Adam.)


I spy Pez, Happy Meal Toys, Hot Wheels, game pieces, dinosaurs, horses, He-Man figures and a panda. Where's Waldo? Nope, there's no Waldo in this jumble. So instead, lets play Where's the Wicked Witch of the West? Can you find her. Also, for bonus points see if you can find Batman.


You know that song One Piece At A Time by Johnny Cash? Yeah, that song fits for this car!



I know Lucasfilm has licensed a lot of stuff through the years, but this is taking things a little too far! Also, I don't think license plates that came from a box of Honeycomb cereal is legal for use on a car. I'm talking to you Adam and Jim!


No souvenir plate for Branson? Missed opportunity if you ask me. 


Yikes! Are those rubber lobsters on the top or actual lobster corpses? Also, I'm guessing the shattered windshield wasn't the artist's original intention. Someone must not have been a fan of this car.


Oh, I get it! This art car is not really an art car but instead a hillbilly Transformer in the form of an art car. "Transformers, junk disguised as art! Transformers, ouch, I got something in my eye! Transformers...." Oh, sorry about that. I got a little carried away singing.

 
This car is the lizard king and chess master of art cars!


Now this section of the car is a tad bit creepy. That doll head looks a little crispy.


Wow, this car was loaded with advanced technology and powered by Radio Shack's TRS-80 computer! Maybe it talked like KITT.


God bless America and God bless this car in the unknown junk yard that it might reside in!


2 comments:

TwoHeadedBoy said...

It really is beautiful, shame it disappeared... Done any research into WHERE it could've gone? Asked in the T-shirt shop maybe?

I spy the witch, Batman, AND a Rust Monster!

Todd Franklin said...

TwoHeadedBoy - I'm afraid I haven't done any real research. Maybe next time I'm in Branson I'll ask around. Thanks for commenting!