Dinny was the first of the two Cabazon Dinosaurs to be constructed. Photo copyright 2018, Anna Boudinot
The huge dinosaur sculptures on the 10 freeway between Los Angeles and Palm Springs are either A) Cool, if you’re not a Pee Wee Herman fan, or B) Super cool, if you are a Pee Wee Herman fan. The Apatosaurus, named Dinny, and Tyrannosaurus, named Mr. Rex, were constructed between 1964 and 1986 by Claude Bell, a sculptor who began his career making sand sculptures in Atlantic City, NJ.
He eventually made his way to California, where he created sculptures at Knott’s Berry Farm, and later moved to the desert. He and his wife owned a diner in Cabazon; they figured that building massive dinosaurs alongside the restaurant would attract more business. Dinny, who is 150 feet long, and Mr. Rex, who is 45 feet tall, attracted not only restaurant customers, but filmmakers. Scenes in The Wizard, Paris Texas, and Pee Wee’s Big Adventure were shot there, and Dinny makes a brief cameo in Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” music video.
Pee Wee's Big Adventure made this T. Rex a star. Photo copyright 2018, Anna Boudinot
After Bell passed away, the property was purchased in the mid-1990s by a fundamentalist Christian group that built a Creationist museum on site. For $8-$12 you can climb into the T. Rex’s head, buy Noah’s Ark trinkets in the gift shop, and explore exhibits that insist that dinosaurs and humans existed during the same period of time. If you prefer not to use your money to support crackpot anti-science movements, you can get a glimpse inside the museum in this write-up that Vice did. Either way, wandering around the exterior of the dinosaurs is free, and a fantastic pit stop during your desert road trip.
Diehard Pee Wee fans will also delight in the Pee Wee Trailer at Hicksville Trailer Palace in Joshua Tree.