KINGSTON — The African Safari must be empty because all the animals have migrated to Kingston.

Their new homing ground: brand-new business TJ’s Hotrods — so new, the official opening day is this Friday.

It’s a peculiar situation, classic rides and life-size yard art, but it’s already garnered a lot of attention.

Granted, life-size giraffes and elephants are hard to miss when driving on Bond Road.

“The animals are a big draw for us. People go crazy for them,” said owner Mike Dawson, who also owns Advanced Floor Systems and Design Center in Kingston and Bel Air Real Estate in Edmonds.

Inside TJ’s Hotrods are life-size replicas of the Blues Brothers, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis and even John Wayne sits tall, on his horse. These characters keep watch over the spotless, classic cars that fill the garage.

The brothers, relaxing behind the wheel of a red Cadillac, look like they will come to life in an instant in an adult dream of “Toy Story.” However the lions, tigers and crocodiles guarding the door baring their menacing razor teeth are eerily reminiscent of a nightmarish “Jumanji.”

Dawson laughes at the analogy.

“They seem to be getting along well,” he said. “I don’t see any big bites out of them … yet.”

TJ’s Hotrods was started as a favor to Dawson’s buddy Ted Fulmer, who owns American Hotrods in Lynwood.

“People would go all the way over to Lynnwood and there was no hotrod business in Kitsap County period,” Dawson said. “He had this idea to start one on this side.”

And it works out with Advanced Floor Systems Design Center, managed by his son Heath Dawson, located in the same Bond Road business park.

The hotrods — Thunderbirds, Cobras, Roadsters and Ramblers — are imported from all over the country, he said.

The animals and celebrity replicas, imported from the Philippines, are a huge asset to attracting customers to the business park.

“We started putting them out just for the kids,” he said. “Families would come out and take pictures.”

What started as a few animals — giraffes, crocodiles, monkeys, lions and tigers — became so popular Dawson is turning to selling them via the Internet and expanding his animal line.

“Lions and tigers and … you need to get some bears,” said an early morning peruser looking in at the animals in the building.

“They’re next,” Dawson said, adding other Northwest natives such as orcas, bear, moose and elk will also soon be available.

Although it might look like a museum, everything is for sale.

The success of the business venture is due to a little out of the box thinking.

“You’ve got to go with your imagination,” Dawson said, adding all business owners should dabble with theirs more.

Manager Denny Young said this is the best job he has had yet.

“It’s like being a kid again but I get to play with all the hotrods,” he said.

The best part, he said, driving the cars down to the business park entrance to show them off. If only the road was a little bit longer.