Largest collection of miniature replicas of the world’s largest things

The Museum of the World’s Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World’s Largest Things – located in Lucas, Kansas, USA – comprises some 200 miniature replicas (as of 2025) of supersized roadside attractions, all handcrafted by artist Erika Nelson (USA) since the early 2000s.

The idea for this project emerged when the artist was visiting these attractions herself during roadtrips in the early 2000s. She realized that very few of the sites had small versions of their giant sculptures and so began to create her own as mementoes. She initially displayed them in a modified bus as part of a travelling exhibition, before acquiring a permanent site for her burgeoning display in 2017.

Nelson believes that the phenomenon of towns or districts building outsized objects in the hope of them becoming famous landmarks is a “young country thing” because most of them can be found in relatively recently established nations such as the USA, Canada and Australia. She believes that “selfie culture” has rapidly increased the appeal and awareness of such attractions because everyone is looking for a quirky picture.

Nelson can spend up to six months of the year on the road to discover and create new mini versions of the largest things. Each replica is made of unique materials, whenever possible in keeping with its original inspiration. For example, her interpretation of the world’s largest rubber-band ball was made from small rubber bands used by orthodontists.

Some of the supersized original objects are record holders in their own right, including the largest replica baseball bat: a 120-ft (36.6-m)-tall, 68,000-lb (30,844-kg) example, made by bat manufacturer Hillerich & Bradsby (USA), and situated outside the Slugger Museum & Factory in Louisville, Kentucky, USA.