The Green Giant Statue in Blue Earth: Story and Facts

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The Green Giant Statue in Blue Earth is a Minnesota story with a documented core at Green Giant Statue and Welcome Center, Blue Earth, Faribault County. The sources are named below.

HistoryKind of story
3Named sources
South Lakes and Bluff CountryRegion
Nov 1Checked, 2026

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A story with a documented core.

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The Green Giant Statue in Blue Earth

People say a giant stands beside Interstate 90 in Blue Earth, tall enough to see from the highway. The Jolly Green Giant began as a canned-vegetable mascot and grew into one of the best-known characters in American advertising. When the interstate reached town, Blue Earth decided to put one of its own along the road. Today travelers pull off to take photos at his feet, and a small museum nearby holds Green Giant memorabilia.

What The Record Shows

Minnesota Public Radio's Minnesota Now and Then (a radio program, a secondary source) tells it this way: the Minnesota Valley Canning Company, based in Le Sueur, adopted a large sweet pea variety in the 1920s and renamed the brand Green Giant. A caveman mascot appeared in 1928, and in 1935 ad man Leo Burnett redesigned the figure as the smiling Jolly Green Giant. As Interstate 90 reached Blue Earth in 1978, a local radio station owner asked the company for permission to build a statue. The 55-foot fiberglass figure debuted at the highway ribbon-cutting that September and later moved to a permanent site. Explore Minnesota says the free museum of Jolly Green Giant memorabilia is in the Welcome Center. MPR says the Le Sueur plant closed in 1995.

Sources: How the Green Giant became Jolly (MPR News radio program, secondary source); Blue Earth Area Chamber of Commerce (Explore Minnesota, state tourism office); Classic Minnesota brands (Explore Minnesota, state tourism office).

A Note

Sources disagree: the statue is 55 or 60 feet tall, and it was built in 1978 or 1979. Not confirmed: visiting hours. Check with the local chamber.

Its home: Blue Earth Area Chamber of Commerce (Explore Minnesota listing). Official page.

On this site: Historic Sites, South Lakes and Bluff Country Events.

Looked for and Not Found

The statue's maker and cost

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the story of The Green Giant Statue in Blue Earth true?

Is this a legend?

It is a story with a documented core. The facts are listed on this page with their sources.

Where do these facts come from?

From the named sources listed on this page: How the Green Giant became Jolly (MPR News radio program, secondary source); Blue Earth Area Chamber of Commerce (Explore Minnesota, state tourism office); Classic Minnesota brands (Explore Minnesota, state tourism office).

Sources

Read on November 1, 2026. Stories are for fun; the facts come from these sources. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? tell us.

Cite this page: It's Minnesota, “The Green Giant Statue in Blue Earth”, itsminnesota.com/legends/green-giant-statue-blue-earth/ (updated 2026-11-01). By the It's Minnesota editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.

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