Wayne's World — Spindle Sculpture / Cars on a Spike, Berwyn, Illinois

The Spindle — a sculpture of eight cars impaled on a giant spike — appeared in Wayne's World as one of the establishing shots of the Chicago suburbs, instantly becoming one of the film's most recognisable visual gags. Created by artist Dustin Shuler in 1989, the 50-foot sculpture stood in the Cermak Plaza shopping centre parking lot in Berwyn, a western suburb of Chicago. The artwork's absurd, joyful weirdness perfectly matched Wayne's World's sensibility.

The Spindle became a beloved local landmark and pop culture icon after its Wayne's World cameo, attracting visitors from around the world who wanted to see the impaled cars in person. Despite community campaigns to save it, the sculpture was demolished in 2008 to make way for a Walgreens pharmacy — a fate that Wayne and Garth would surely have protested. The destruction was widely covered in the media and lamented by fans of both the sculpture and the film.

The site at 7113 Cermak Road in Berwyn is now a Walgreens, with no trace of the Spindle remaining. Berwyn, a blue-collar suburb about 10 miles west of downtown Chicago, has embraced its Wayne's World connection despite the sculpture's loss. The town retains a quirky, unpretentious character that Wayne Campbell would appreciate.