Pretty much every American is familiar with the infamous leg lamp from the movie A Christmas Story, thanks in large part to the 24-hour TBS marathons every December.
You might even know that the Christmas Story house is alive and well in Cleveland, Ohio, where the exteriors of the film were shot. You can even go inside the house, which now functions as a museum for the movie and a replica of Ralphie’s home.
What you might not know is that Chickasha, Oklahoma is, according to legend, home to the inspiration behind the beloved leg lamp from the movie. Apparently, Chickasha artist and Oklahoma University professor Noland James had a personal leg lamp in the 1970s that served as the inspiration for the one in the film. That lamp sat in his office at the school, and a man who often saw it there wound up working on the production team for A Christmas Story a few years later. That original leg lamp must have been burned into his brain, an inescapable vision that he had to do something with. Luckily, he had an outlet.
Plan Your Pilgrimage to the 50-foot Leg Lamp in Chickasha
Now, no city can pass up celebrating being the birthplace of a piece of movie history like this, even if it is still rooted in legend. Which is why the city installed a 50-foot fiberglass, LED-lit sculpture of the leg lamp (the lamp is 40 feet high with a ten-foot crate), debuting in November 2022.
Whether you make this a travel destination or you just happen to be passing through Chickasha, it would be a sin not to see the brand-new giant leg lamp installation.
