-Bob's Big Boy


	Piece	Bob's Big Boy
	Year	--
	Condition	C-8
	Description	8" hard plastic
	Company	Bob's Big Boy Restaurant

The world's first double-decker hamburger needed a larger-than-life personality to help create a national appetite. So when a fat little boy in red suspenders walked into Bob's Pantry in Glendale, California, in 1936, he became the new symbol for Bob's Big Boy restaurant. Owner and founder Bob Wian created a stylized image for his "Big Boy," with red-checked pants and suspenders, dark wavy hair, cherubic cheeks and a happy grin -- because he was holding the hamburger he was named for.

The Big Boy image became so popular that Bob's Big Boy restaurants soon franchised all over the country under several different names, including Elias, JB's, Frisch's, and Shoney's. Marriott took over the chain in 1967.

Over the years, the Big Boy has cleaned up his image (one suspender used to droop -- now they're both buttoned up tight), shed a few pounds, and lightened his hair from dark brown to chestnut. But his popularity is still so strong that when Marriott was thinking of retiring him in the mid-1980's, a national customer survey voted him back in a landslide decision.

In this nine-inch plastic statue, the Big Boy's feet are spread apart and separated. His face and arms are flesh tone, and his shirt is white with "Big Boy" printed on it in black. His eyes are painted blue, his mouth is red and his cheeks are rosy. His figure is more slender than other interpretations, and the red checks on his overalls are smaller. Both his hands are resting on his suspenders.

View This Item in its Exhibit Case