Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Slovenia mushroom foraging
Slovenia • 6 days, 5 nights
Forest to Table in Alpine Slovenia
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The front of the museum in present day.
The Railway Museum (Spoorwegmuseum)
Detail of the church’s right aisle
The Mosaic of Andreina
The older engine.
Dalat Railway Station
The exterior of STRAAT.
STRAAT
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
People paddling in their wooden canoes on one of the lakes near the Allagash Waterway in the north woods in Maine
The Allagash Abductions: This State Park’s Most Famous Visitors ... Are Aliens?
about 3 hours ago
The rocky Revere Beach coast in Revere, Massachusetts, just outside Boston.
Which Places With Bad Raps Are Actually Worth Visiting?
1 day ago
A dugong displays the telltale “smile.”
Saving the Sea Cows of Vanuatu
1 day ago
The first photo of the “woolly devil” made a stir among botanists when Deb Manley uploaded it to iNaturalist in March 2024.
How the Woolly Devil, Member of a New Plant Genus, Was Discovered on a Hike in Big Bend
2 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States North Dakota Fargo Fargo Wood Chipper

Fargo Wood Chipper

"...I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper?"

Fargo, North Dakota

Added By
mebison
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Complete with a plastic Steve Buscemi leg   Fargo-Moorhead CVB
Complete with a plastic Steve Buscemi leg   Fargo-Moorhead CVB
The “Eager Beaver”   Fargo-Moorhead CVB
The chipper has been heartily embraced by Fargo’s Visitors Center   Fargo-Moorhead CVB
Some other “Fargo” memorabilia at the Visitors Center   Amy Meredith
Fargo-Moorehead Visitors Center   Fargo-Moorhead CVB
They will even give you a “Fargo” style hat to wear for your photo opp if you like   Amy Meridith
Doc Nicholas The_Wood_Chipper   Doc Nicholas / Atlas Obscura User
The wood chipper with movie posters and memorabilia   evilgreentriangle / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  chrismcmillon / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Twenty years ago, an “Eager Beaver” backyard wood chipper became an accidental movie icon. In its star-making scene, the chipper is about as grisly as the Coen Brothers get, sucking down Steve Buscemi’s body parts until all that’s left is his right foot and bloody gym sock.

The Eager Beaver can now be found tickling tourists and movie fans at the F + M Visitors Center, just off the interstate on the west side of Fargo. Despite the gore at the heart of the scene, the prop has been a big hit for the tourist bureau, who have embraced the movie and the Eager Beaver wholeheartedly. They’ve even added a mannequin’s leg and gym sock to the tableau (minus all the blood).

The film Fargo was released in 1996, as a low-budget follow-up to the brothers’ overblown Hudsucker Proxy from two years earlier. Getting back to their down-and-dirty film roots, the pivotal scene is simple and quiet, with the Eager Beaver (a fictional brand, based on an actual chipper called the Wood Chuck) grinding up one of the movie’s inept kidnappers until police officer Marge Gunderson arrives, giving us one of the best reaction faces in a movie full of impressive reaction faces.

When you get your picture taken with the chipper, be sure to ask the staff for a Fargo-style hat. They keep a few on hand to complete the shot.

Related Tags

Film Locations Film

Know Before You Go

The Fargo-Moorhead Convention & Visitors Bureau is right off the Exit 348 exit ramp, heading west on I-94 (45th Street exit). In spring and summer they are open Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 8pm, Saturday 9am to 6pm and Sunday 10am to 6pm. In fall and winter, Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 4pm, and closed on Sunday.

Community Contributors

Added By

mebison

Edited By

slmaynard26, Collector of Experiences, Doc Nicholas, chrismcmillon...

  • slmaynard26
  • Collector of Experiences
  • Doc Nicholas
  • chrismcmillon
  • evilgreentriangle

Published

January 3, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.fargomoorhead.org/things-details.html?id=650
  • http://ew.com/article/2016/03/08/fargo-20th-anniversary-wood-chipper-oral-history/
Fargo Wood Chipper
2001 44th Street South
Fargo, North Dakota
United States
46.848973, -96.85974
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Pyrotechnics Guild International Convention

West Fargo, North Dakota

miles away

'Fargo Mario Wall'

Fargo, North Dakota

miles away

Hjemkomst Viking Ship

Moorhead, Minnesota

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Fargo

Fargo

North Dakota

Places 2

Nearby Places

Pyrotechnics Guild International Convention

West Fargo, North Dakota

miles away

'Fargo Mario Wall'

Fargo, North Dakota

miles away

Hjemkomst Viking Ship

Moorhead, Minnesota

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Fargo

Fargo

North Dakota

Places 2

Related Places

  • Forest Gump ran past this particular lighthouse.

    Port Clyde, Maine

    Marshall Point Lighthouse

    Forrest Gump ran past this iconic Maine lighthouse in his cinematic cross-country journey.

  • “You’ll Float TOO!!”

    Bangor, Maine

    The Sewer Drain from “IT”

    This is the sewer drain that was the inspiration for the opening scene of Stephen King’s classic novel “IT”.

  • The tomb of James Bond on Kalsoy Island

    Kalsoy, Faroe Islands

    James Bond's Grave

    This tombstone marks the spot where the legendary British spy met his end.

  • It was created in bronze by father-son team Andrea and Aldo Favilli

    Burbank, California

    'The Cameraman'

    This statue celebrating early Hollywood is largely forgotten, while its twin replica at Walt Disney World has become an icon.

  • The castle photographed in 2015.

    Balsorano Vecchio, Italy

    Castello Piccolomini

    This castle was once an Italian horror cinema star.

  • NX Bridge

    Kearny, New Jersey

    'Annie' Bridge

    The drawbridge used in the filming of the movie 'Annie' has been in the open position as it was in the movie for decades.

  • An ornate yellow Italian home peaks out behind green foliage

    Turin, Italy

    Villa Scott (Villa del Bambino Urlante)

    This Art Nouveau mansion was used as the "House of the Screaming Child" in Dario Argento’s giallo classic.

  • Pizza Generation, in real life.

    Seoul, South Korea

    Sky Pizza

    Visit the real-life site of the fictional pizzeria in Bong Joon-Ho's film Parasite.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.