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Large-Scale Pickleball Statue Calls Toledo Home
As the sport of pickleball has been growing nationwide and in Toledo with the opening of Toledo Pickle in early 2025, of course the city needed an 8-foot-diameter pickleball statue to commemorate the local love for the sport.
With the help of local artist Dean Davis, Metroparks Toledo, Toledo Custom Fiberglass and 21st Century Paints Inc., Mike Gibbons, owner of Toledo Pickle, located at 1030 Water St., was able to bring this dream to life – all with the help of local organizations.
“I walked out here one day and just looked at that site and I don’t know why, I just said, ‘Wouldn’t a big pickleball look great here?’ I called Dean, who’s done a lot of work for me and he came out and he started laughing. He said, ‘This would be fantastic,’” Gibbons said.
When Gibbons first saw the site the statue would later sit on, it was overgrown and rundown. As the statue is on the ever-growing Glass City Riverwalk, Metroparks Toledo graciously stepped in to clean the location up. Scott Carpenter, director of public relations for the Metroparks, said the idea fit the theme of the riverwalk well.
“Two things you’ll notice are recurring themes as you walk along the riverwalk are artwork and fun. This checked both of those boxes, so we’re thrilled to have it as another element that compels families to walk along the riverfront and enjoy all Toledo has to offer,” said Carpenter during his speech.
Creating the pickleball statue
In the past, Davis has painted a total of five murals for Gibbons and Toledo Pickle, so when Gibbons reached out to him about his statue idea, it became a reality.
“Meeting Mike has been a life changer for me. When you execute artwork, you have a certain language you have to talk in. Mike’s language is, just get it done; get done tomorrow too,” Davis said. “I love that attitude because a lot of times these projects get layered up and they stall out in the process. When we do it this way, things take shape a lot faster.”
After learning the plan, Davis wanted to make this project for the community, by the community.
“One of the things about this element is the fact that everything on this project was grown right here in Toledo. We were able to fabricate it right here in Toledo with just the amazing craftsmanship of Toledo Custom Fiberglass. Their team over there knows how to do it the right way,” Davis said during his speech.
At Toledo Custom Fiberglass, it was all hands on deck to create the sphere.
“A lot of work goes into it. My brother-in-law and I got the drawings together, got the measurements and everything correct. Then we built a plug that we needed to be able to make the mold… Then we handed it off to Joel Sullivan. Sullivan built the mold and then Bobby Adams started to build it one piece at a time,” said Dean Ball, owner of Toledo Custom Fiberglass, during his speech.
Once it was fully built, Davis reached out to a local company, 21st Century Paints Inc., to make sure the paint would last.
“You have to rely on the experts to get those things right. They were able to give us all the ingredients that we needed to make this thing last for a long time. When you can trust the materials, then you can process,” Davis said.
Once the sphere was built and the paint was in hand, Davis got to work with the end goal of making it look realistic.
“We really wanted to sell the element of what we were trying to create. Instead of having a cavern inside of it, we knew that we had to make it a sphere. There’s some math to that; there’s a genuine question, ‘what goes into the holes,’” Davis said.
If you look closely at the statue, Davis painted either a darker color in the holes, as if you’re looking inside the ball or a scene of the sky, as if you’re looking through the holes.
Now that the massive pickleball sits in its forever home, the work isn’t done yet.
“The Metroparks are going to do more work here. They’re gonna have rails here, so this will be an overlook for the river,” said Gibbons during his speech.
The love of fun and pickleball
The word everyone had on their mind as the statue was unveiled was ‘fun.’
“It’s just fun. The one thing about this project is it’s not so full of meaning. It’s just a fun piece of art that lives out here. I think it helps make us laugh a little bit,” Davis said.
As the owner of Toledo Pickle, Gibbons finds his job is giving people the space they need to have fun.
“It’s just gonna make people smile. I love to make people smile, so this is one way to do it; playing pickleball does it too,” Gibbons said.
The statue is located between the Toledo Pickle parking lot and the Maumee River, but you don’t need to stop there to see it. Next time you drive over the river, take a look and you might just find yourself a reason to ‘smile.’
“You can see it from everywhere; it’s fantastic. You can see it when you come across the bridge. You’ll see it coming up and down the river. You can see it from the other side of the river. I think it’s gonna be an iconic piece that’ll be here for years to come,” Gibbons said.
