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Bunny Gibbons was an funfair owner in the 1950s, based in and around Rockford, Illinois.^[1]

"Ed Gein's Ghoul Car"

Gibbons' fair's most memorable attraction was the car of the infamous serial killer Ed Gein. The car was a 1949 Ford sedan and had been used to transport the bodies of the victims of Gein's murders. Gibbons bought the car in an auction for Gein's estate, held in 1958.^[2] Fourteen different bids were placed for the car,^[3] yet Gibbons held out and won, using pseudonyms such as "Koch Brothers", "Cook Brothers" and "Kook Brothers". Gibbons ended up paying the then-considerable amount of $760.^[4] Gibbons called his attraction the "Ed Gein Ghoul Car" and charged fair-goers 25¢ admission to see and have their pictures taken next to the car.^[5]

Controversy

The car was first displayed in Seymour, Wisconsin in July 1958. In its first two days, the attraction pulled in more than 2,000 visitors. The exhibit was immediately embroiled in controversy, and officials from Mental Health America of Wisconsin fought to close the exhibit. Despite Gibbons's initial delight with the publicity, interest began to fade in the car. While visiting Slinger, Wisconsin, the town sheriff shut down the exhibit. Eventually, the state of Wisconsin banned the exhibit. Gibbons traveled with the fair to Southern Illinois, where he faded into obscurity. ^[6]

References