Giant Artichoke

The Giant Artichoke is a large fiberglass artichoke statue erected in 1963 beside a restaurant of the same name in Castroville, California, a town whose fertile soil made it one of the country's leading artichoke-growing regions. Castroville has billed itself the 'Artichoke Center of the World' since a sign proclaiming the title went up in the 1930s. The title gained national attention in 1948, when a young actress named Norma Jeane Baker — soon to become famous as Marilyn Monroe — was presented with a sash naming her California's honorary Artichoke Queen during a promotional visit to the area. The Giant Artichoke remains the town's best-known roadside photo opportunity.