Clerou Tire Company
Bakersfield, CA
Photo courtesy Chris & Ginger

Check out this little character perched on the roof of Clerou Tire Company in Bakersfield. Even motorists who do not need a new set of tires may find themselves taking a second look at the pajama-clad fellow holding a candle and leaning against an oversized tire. 07-07

This sleepy rooftop character is the Fisk Tire Boy, an advertising mascot introduced by the Fisk Rubber Company in 1914. His candle, pajamas, and tire were used with the clever slogan “Time to Re-Tire!” Apparently even tires need a bedtime.

Fisk Boy appeared on signs, posters, clocks, and other advertising displays across the country. Large three-dimensional versions like this one once stood outside tire dealers and service stations, xsbut relatively few remain. The Bakersfield figure stands about six feet tall, which makes him more of a rooftop adult than a little boy.

UPDATE: Clerou Tire Company remains open. The rare Fisk Tire Boy continues to watch over the corner from the roof, still holding his candle and waiting for someone to get the old joke. 09-26

Forty One Cafe (Demolished)
Lemoore, CA
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

Here's the Forty One Cafe along Highway 41 near Lemoore. Check out the little fellow standing on the roof with a hamburger in one hand and a frosty mug of root beer in the other. Getting the food down from the roof may have been a problem. 12-10

The fiberglass figure is an A&W Teen Burger, one of the characters from the chain's old Burger Family. By 2007, he had lost his feet and was leaning forward, but he continued holding tightly to the burger and mug. The café opened at Hall's Corner in 1947. For more than 60 years, Denver Eddings served local farmers, truck drivers, and travelers, opening at 4:30 every morning except Sunday.

UPDATE: Denver Eddings died in July 2021 at the age of 94. The Forty One Cafe was later demolished, and the fate of its footless A&W Teen Burger remains unknown. 09-26

Carpeteria Man (Gone)
Bakersfield, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

A friendly sight along the road was the Carpeteria Genie in Bakersfield. This colorful fellow spent many years holding the Carpeteria sign high above the street, ready to work a little magic for anyone in need of new flooring. 11-20

Carpeteria was founded in California in 1960 and used the genie to play up the idea of magic carpets. The towering fiberglass figures stood about 20 feet tall and weighed roughly three-quarters of a ton. Oddly enough, many of them were molded without hands. The supporting brackets and Carpeteria sign passed directly through their wrists, conveniently hiding what the genie was missing.

Carpeteria Man (Gone)
Bakersfield, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The chain expanded throughout the western states, placing similar genies at stores in California and Nevada. Carpeteria ran into financial trouble and filed for bankruptcy protection in 1999. Although the company name survived at some locations, most of the large fiberglass mascots gradually disappeared.

UPDATE: The Bakersfield Carpeteria location on F Street is now occupied by other flooring businesses, and its genie has been removed. Its fate remains unknown, though a few of its magical relatives still survive in places such as North Hollywood, Las Vegas, Reno, and the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. 09-26

See more Carpeteria genies here in Nevada and Whittier. 11-20