What The Heck Is … With Betty Boop, Big Boy And That Sinclair Dinosaur North Of Cheyenne?

It’s about as eclectic a collection of kitsch as can be found anywhere in Wyoming.

A saddled-up forest green Sinclair dinosaur, a restored and smiling Bob’s Big Boy, a nearly life-sized Bactrian camel laying in the grass and a giraffe (not life-sized) craning its neck for tree leaves.

That’s just half of the menagerie Stuart Flynn has collected on his property in north Cheyenne over the past few years.

On the other side of his driveway is a larger-than-life Betty Boop on roller skates, a trio of colorful carousel horses and a sasquatch lurking in the trees behind them (you have to look closely to spot him).

Flynn’s makeshift zoo is quickly making his home along Yellowstone Road just north of Four Mile Road in Cheyenne a local landmark, a waypoint even. When people give directions, they now say things like, “Go north on Yellowstone and turn right at the Big Boy.”

Kids Love Them

“My kids love driving by your place every day!” Brehanna Fisher told Flynn recently when he shared a photo of his collection. “Every time, they yell ‘Big Boy! Giraffe! Dinosaur! etc. until they name them all.

“It’s extra fun when they spot the new arrivals like the horses and camel recently. Your house will always be a memory of their childhood.”

It’s reactions like that Flynn said helps motivate him to keep looking for more to add to the family.

‘It’s Just Random Fun’

It all started about three years ago when Flynn found the Big Boy, dinosaur and Betty, he said.

“The first thing I put out was Bob’s Big Boy, then then Sinclair dinosaur and Betty Boop,” he said. “I put them all out there at the same time.”

There’s no rhyme or reason behind each piece, they’re just fun, he said. Once those first statues went up, people began contacting him when they found others.

“The Bob’s Big Boy was just a pipe dream, to be honest. I never expected I’d get one of those,” Flynn said. “It’s just random fun, and the neighborhood is starting to love them. There’s something new all the time.”

Somebody in Denver spotted the camel and giraffe and tipped Flynn off about them. Then came the three carousel horses and sasquatch.

The largest addition to the group isn’t on display yet as Flynn works to restore it — a giant 8-foot rooster.

He calls them all by name. Of course, there’s Bob and Betty. Then Bigfoot, and Sandy the camel, Nelly the giraffe and Dino the dinosaur.

As for the rooster, “I don’t know what we’ll call him yet once we get him up. We’ve got time for that,” Flynn said.

Dino Was Dino-Napped

Flynn said he and his wife love collecting these larger-than-life 3D cartoon characters. Most are painted aluminum and stand up to the elements well.

They’ve also been bolstered by the reaction they get to them.

“It’s encouraging,” Flynn said. “People love them.”

Maybe some love them too much. It was about a year ago when someone stole Dino. But he was returned a couple days later after a citywide dinosaur hunt was launched. Flynn suspects whoever stole Dino felt the heat. It’s hard to move a hot dinosaur everybody’s looking for.

“Our dinosaur got stolen and I put it out on Facebook,” he said. “Man, that got everybody looking. Then two days later we found our Dino out in the ditch in front of the house.”

What’s Next?

For Flynn, collecting and displaying the figures keeps him young at heart, he said.

A bonus is that his wife, Buffy, also is all on board. She loves them too, and has a sentimental favorite.

While she’s fond of Betty Boop and Buffy, she likes sasquatch the best. He reminds her of her dad.

She recalls that whenever they’d hear ice dropping in the automatic ice maker, her father would exclaim: “Bigfoot’s in the freezer!”

As for what’s next after the giant rooster, Stuart said he has no clue. But he always has his eye out for more.

Want to know what the heck something is in Wyoming? Ask Managing Editor Greg Johnson and he’ll try to find out. Send your “What the heck is …” questions to him, along with high-quality horizontal photos of whatever it is to [email protected].

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