PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — If you’ve driven along TV Highway in Aloha, you’ve seen the giant rabbit statue that has been a landmark there since the 1970s.
Ben Eastman, who grew up in Aloha, runs a Facebook fan page for Harvey. (KOIN)
“Every morning, I’d drive by Harvey, and as a kid seeing that tall of a statue — 25, 26 feet tall, it’s kinda like an icon when you’re a kid,” said Ben Eastman, who runs a Harvey fan page on Facebook.
“People love Harvey,” Eastman said. “People really legitimately love Harvey in this area.”
Today, Harvey holds a cup of Black Rock coffee, directing folks to the drive-thru coffee shop next door on TV Highway.
“Oh it’s amazing,” Black Rock barista Hayley Newman said. “It’s also had so many people drive in and they’re excited about it, because they’re like, it’s the coolest thing ever.”
Over the years, Harvey has held everything from pumpkins to Christmas trees in his oversized hands.
Photos: Harvey through the years
Inspired by the 1950s Jimmy Stewart movie, "Harvey," about a man a his imaginary rabbit, Ed Harvey built a rabbit head and Harvey the rabbit became a symbol for his business in 1974. (Courtesy photo)
Those hands once belonged to a Texaco Big Friend statue, a common roadside fixture in the 1950s, related to the more famous Muffler Man.
The statue was damaged by the Columbus Day storm of 1962 and the owner brought it to Ed Harvey, a fiberglass expert who owned Harvey Marine on TV Highway.
The owner never came back for it.
Inspired by the 1950s Jimmy Stewart movie, “Harvey,” about a man a his imaginary rabbit, Ed Harvey built a rabbit head and Harvey the rabbit became a symbol for his business in 1974.
Harvey the rabbit statue in Aloha used to be a man before Ed Harvey replaced the head with a rabbit. (Courtesy photo)
Harvey has been there ever since, surviving the closure of Harvey Marine and the death of Ed Harvey in 2017.
“As far as I know, he’s here for good,” Eastman said. “And it seems the family really wants him to stay too.”
Eastman was concerned the development of South Hillsboro could put Harvey’s future in doubt. But the Harvey family says Harvey is part of the plan.
“We gotta stand behind this guy,” Eastman said. “He’s the pride of Hillsboro and Aloha.”
Harvey the rabbit on TV Highway in Aloha now holds a Black Rock coffee to advertise the nearby coffee shop. (KOIN)
According to Paul Harvey, Ed Harvey’s son, the old Harvey Marine site will likely be turned into a restaurant. He said Harvey will be moved slightly and be refurbished.
