IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 1 introduced the origins of the Paul Bunyan statue, setting up Pennywise's biggest scare in 2019's IT: Chapter Two. Serving as a prequel to 2017's IT and its sequel, HBO Max's Welcome to Derry explores more of the cursed town as it becomes ground zero for the attack of an ancient evil that surfaces every 27 years.
This entity takes on many forms to torment the children of Derry, and one of them is in the form of the iconic Paul Bunyan monument from the town. Bunyan eventually plays a crucial role in both the book and the movies as one of Pennywise's weapons in wreaking havoc across Derry and its victims.
Paul Bunyan's 'Welcome to Derry' Statue Is Clever 'IT' Foreshadowing
IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 2 included a clever foreshadowing of one of IT: Chapter Two's scariest moments involving the Paul Bunyan monument. The episode referenced the upcoming creation of the monument, but Derrry residents protested the move, but it was unclear why in the installment.
Stephen King's IT provided the answer as it explored why the Paul Bunyan statue became a crucial element in Derry, and why it has been a point of contention among residents. The book mentioned that the statue was hotly debated because others found the idea "horrible" and left with the feeling of being uneasy. The poster about the monument's creation stated that it was slated for completion in 1962, which was 27 years before the events of IT: Chapter One.
However, it wasn't until IT: Chapter Two that Pennywise used the Paul Bunyan statue as a scare tactic to torment the original members of the Losers' Club: Richie Tozier. While the events took place during Chapter One, the sequel was the one that revealed the extent of Pennywise's biggest scare involving Paul Bunyan against Richie.
After the Losers' Club was isolated, Pennywise targeted each of them alone. The creature used the Paul Bunyan statue as a way to torment Richie after he was bullied by Henry Bowers inside an arcade.
The killer clown transformed into the gigantic Paul Bunyan statue to chase Richie, proving that this is Pennywise's biggest scare because it brought to life a 31-foot-tall monument.
Richie eventually "defeated" the Paul Bunyan statue by convincing himself that it was not real, leading to the monument returning to its natural, lifeless state.
This move is right up there in terms of Pennywise's cruelest tricks, which is in the same level as what the clown did to Matty in IT: Welcome to Derry.
Flash forward to the present day of IT: Chapter Two, Pennywise once again used the Paul Banyan statue. But this time, it was more of a backdrop since he did the scare himself by personally mocking an adult Richie about his sexuality.
Pennywise invited Richie to play a game with him, or else he would expose his secret of being a closeted gay man. This is one good example of Pennywise using one's vulnerabilities as his greatest weapon against his victims. This also explains why Pennywise used the death of Lilly's dad as a weapon against the young girl in IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 2.
Speaking with Vanity Fair in September 2019, Stephen King revealed that he was the one who suggested including the sequence involving the Paul Bunyan statue chasing Richie in Derry.
Meanwhile, in the IT: Welcome to Derry opening title sequence, the Paul Bunyan statue was also featured in the beginning, which further served as a foreshadowing of the eventual scare tactic that Pennywise used in IT: Chapter Two.
Given that the monument has yet to be built in IT: Welcome to Derry, this still doesn't mean that Pennywise will not use Paul Bunyan as one of its forms in the prequel. It's possible that one of the remaining episodes of Welcome to Derry could feature Pennywise as Paul Bunyan to torment the new batch of kids.
Is Paul Bunyan Actually From Derry, Maine? Real-Life Birthplace Lore Explained
The Paul Bunyan statue featured in the IT franchise is based on a real-life folk hero and legendary lumberjack from American folklore, known for his superhuman labors. Bunyan was not from Derry, considering that the town is fictional and only based on Stephen King's real-life hometown of Bangor, Maine. The character was then popularized by William B. Laughead in a 1916 promotional pamphlet for the Red River Lumber Company.
There are many claims about where Bunyan's "birthplace" is. As pointed out by Mental Floss in February 2025, there are dozens of towns claiming to be his birthplace, such as Oscoda, Michigan, Ossineke, Michigan, Brainerd, Minnesota, and perhaps the most popular one, Bangor, Maine.
Bangor is considered by some as the true origin of the Paul Bunyan statue, mainly due to it serving as the inspiration for Stephen King's fictional town of Derry in the IT novel. The fact that it is also home to the original statue of Paul Bunyan, located across the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, which has been in place since 1959, also holds weight.
The said statue stands 31 feet tall and it weighs 3700 pounds. While the IT franchise's design is different from the original statue (which is understandable), it stays true to its iconic design of a bearded man wearing a red and black checkered flannel shirt holding a large ax in one hand a peavey in the other.
Aside from the Paul Bunyan statue in Bangor, there are several real-life Paul Bunyan statues scattered across North America, including those in Portland, Oregon; Klamath, California; and Cheshire, Connecticut.
As one of Pennywise's memorable (and biggest) forms, the Paul Banyun statue's imposing stature creates a feeling of uneasiness, which was further amplified throughout the IT franchise.
