The iconic Big Boy mascot, used from 1988 to 2020, has become an iconic character in the fast-food industry, helping the chain remain in business for nearly a century. The chain announced that while the restaurants will still be named Big Boy, a new mascot will be introduced: a little girl named Dolly. The first Big Boy was derived from a sketch by Warner Brothers animation artist Bennie Washam in 1937, who drew the character on a napkin for Bob Wian for a free lunch.
The oldest remaining Bob’s Big Boy in America was built in Burbank, CA in 1949 by local residents Scott MacDonald and Ward Albert. The chain has been a staple in the Bismarck-Mandan community since its early days, opening in 1954.
The iconic Big Boy mascot is getting the boot after almost 90 years. The restaurant chain announced that while the restaurants will still be named Big Boy, a new mascot will be introduced: a little girl named Dolly. The first Big Boy was based on a real six-year boy who was the restaurant’s first “super fan”.
Big Boy has been a staple in the Bismarck-Mandan community since its early days, opening in 1954. Over the years, Big Boy has become an iconic character in the fast-food industry, immortalized in the statue at locations across the US.
📹 The History Of Big Boy (Frisch’s) Mascot
Here is the 11th installment of season 2 of my “History Of” series In this video I go over the history of one of the most iconic …
📹 The Untold Truth Of Big Boy
With a mascot that’s as American as the Statue of Liberty, this burger joint has a history of famous customers, multiple screen …
Which part of Kentucky are you in? I live in Louisville. I grew up in New Albany, Ind., where the Big Boy outside the Frisch’s downtown was well recognized. It was photographed in an ad in my class of 1976 high school yearbook with a student sitting atop his hamburger. That statue was bought by a collector in Orange County, Ind. where it highlighted an outdoor collection of logo kitsch.
Honestly I find Big Boy to be one of the oddest restaurants every made and isn’t really a character that people really talk about in theme restaurants such as Ronald McDonald, The Burger King, Chuck E. Cheese, etc. I find Big Boy to be more of a relic of the past and that’s really I only see him like that. I have actually ate at Frisch’s before and it was actually two stores. I have ate at the Dixie Highway location and the Shelbyville road location located in the St. Matthews area of Louisville, Kentucky.
When I first saw that big boy costume I almost thought it was a statue that they made when it was Halloween where it was a possessed big boy this article is great I can’t wait for season 3 and one is Chuck e cheese going to let their fans by their signs when they’re going out of business or location closes you forgot variance and a suit up on how to dress up as big boy a lot of things were missing in this history article but that’s fine
Maybe next you can talk about the history of showbiz pizza place and creative engineering talk about the history of how showbiz was created and everything that they did before pizza time theater turned it to chuck E cheese and to know more showbiz pizza place was also called billy bob’s wonderland and talk about other animatronics that creative engineering created cause he created more than the rock afire explosion
Ideas for next 10 articles: Ronald McDonald ( McDonald’s) Penn state nittany lion ( Penn state) Chuck E. Cheese in Monroeville PA Wendy (Wendy’s) Ollie (Ollie’s Bargain Outlet) Splash lagoon in Erie PA Bevo (Texas university) Iceburg ( Pittsburgh penguins) Kenny kangaroo ( Kennywood park) Panda Express mascot (Panda Express)
0:00 Beginning 1:32 Chapter 1 The history of Bob’s Big Boy 2:47 Chapter 2 The Big Boy Caricature 6:18 Chapter 3 The 50’S Big Boys 11:45 Chapter 4 The similar Big Boys 14:52 Chapter 5 Modern Big Boy 16:54 Loosing Big boy 1 19:46 Chapter 6 Frisch’s New Big boy 22:59 Chapter 7 Dolly (Loosing Big Boy 2) 26:38 Chapter 8 The Mascots 39:26 Chapter 9 The statues 46:31 Chapter 10 Conclusion
Great article, Sir Nathan, ya’ really did your homework! ^,,,,^ Had NO idea Ben Washam had anything to do with the look of Big Boy! Liked the Big Boy song at the end too – never heard it before! Though the “Dolly scandal” was not a part of our local Frisch’s game plan; it was questionable marketing at best, but made news nationwide. But do you remember when Frisch’s changed to Pepsi to “save costs” and the ire it raised? That was certainly something! And the relief of fans everywhere when they brought it back! youtube.com/watch?v=LPBCG3eZ3Lg
I somehow ended up on this article in the process of trying to explain why my fear of baby dolls and mascots emerged as a child to my friends. I used to be terrified of this guy, back when they had the Big Boy mascots come out onto the dining room floor to be nice with the kids! I miss Frisch’s milkshakes. I used to get dragged to the one in Frankfort KY all the time by my aunt and uncle lmao.
Bud’s Big Boy Resturaunt in Bozeman Montana was my 1st full time job,as a newly hired bus boy we’d get free BB sandwiches and they’d always have a feathered tooth pick stuck in the sandwich bun, so we’d put those feathered picks in a soda straw and blow gun them into the cork ceiling tiles, that way we counted how many of those we had eaten to show our friends— good times
Great Job ! Moved into West San Fernando Valley in 1962. Always cruised Van Nuys Blvd. And ended up in Bob’s Car Hop service at end of night. I have ( with my Buddy’s ) actually put their Big Boy Statue in the Middle of Van Nuys Blvd when their really busy. Both Wed. & Sat. Cruise nights. Now they chain them down . Those were the Days ! Food was better then to. Very disappointing now. In & Out sort of took over after Bob sold out. Great Memories from L.A. Fast Frank-CA
Like others here, the Glendale Bob’s Big Boy was where I went. It was in the late 1940s and the 1950s. It was just down the road from my home. I remember one time when I was very young, my parents asked if I wanted spaghetti or chili. I told them, and the waitress, that I wanted spaghetti with chili on it instead of spaghetti sauce. They didn’t have that on the menu at the time (at least at that location), but they agreed to make it for me.
I WISH THEY BRING BACK THE BIG BOY RESTAURANT BACK, I LOVE ❤️ THERE FOOD,I GREW UP EATING AT THE BOB BIG BOY RESTAURANT, AND I MISSED IT SO MUCH, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BRING IT BACK,I LIVE IN LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA. YOU WILL MAKE A PASSED GUESS VERY HAPPY AGAIN . THE FOOD IS SO GOOD, THAT IT OUT OF THIS WORLD 🌍. I KNOW LOTS OF PEOPLE FEEL THE SAME WAY,I DO . BIG BOY RESTAURANT ARE NUMBER ONE IN MY BOOK, AND ALSO NUMBER ONE RESTAURANT.
We used to have big boy restaurants in Washington state Oregon Montana and Idaho and I think Utah but they were either tore down or were made into other companies so the big boy restaurants that we had are no longer in our states I think it’s mostly California now has all the big boys but yeah Oregon Washington Montana Idaho and Utah used to have big boy restaurants but they closed them all down
In 1968 I waited tables at Shoney’s Big Boy in Norfolk. I made fifty-seven and a half cents an hour plus tips. Iconic food! The big boy hamburger, slim Jim sandwich, “half pound o ground round,” strawberry pie, and chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry on top.
I know someone who has a Big Boy statue in his home. You might know him, too…award-winning television writer/producer/director (among other things from baseball commentator to blogger to contributing cartoonist for THE NEW YORKER) Ken Levine–credits include M*A*S*H, CHEERS, FRASIER, THE SIMPSONS, and BECKER .
You didn’t mention this… In 1985, worried that a pudgy kid toting a big burger was out of step with the times, Marriott Corp., which held the national franchising rights to Big Boy, began an advertising campaign asking whether the 49-year-old symbol should stay or go. Although patrons voted to keep him, the campaign revealed Big Boy’s connection to the past.
I work for Bob’s 77-80. Started as a cook and worked my way to Manager at various locations in the San Fernando Valley. I moved out of LA in the mid 80’s and when I returned for a visit about a dozen years later they were all gone except one. I couldn’t believe such a popular restaurant chain could be out of business. They were always pack from opening to closing.
Growing up in Ohio, the family consensus was that Manners Big Boy was the best burger of all the chains. In senior years, now avoiding red meat for sake of healthier heart, so suggest Gardein burgers as the best and seeming like a real burger, even more than “Impossible” burgers. Thawing in microwave and pan-frying in a heathy oil works best to give a juicey quality. The only product plugs you can trust are unsolicited ones from everyday people.
A lot of great memories of the Glendale CA location. This article claimed they still do a car night at the Northridge, Burbank and Glendale locations. That is incorrect. There is no Glendale location anymore and hasn’t been for quite some time. The only Metro-Los Angeles area locations currently open are Northridge, Burbank (technically Toluca Lake), and Downey. All other locations have closed. There is also apparently one other location in Norco, CA.
“Loved Big Boy!!!”Have Eaten At Michigans Elias Brothers,Eaten At Shoneys,Frisch’s And One Memory In Texas Keps!!!”Loved It For Decades Somebody So Franchise Killed Of My Memories!!!”The Best Onion Rings,And Malts And In The Summer A Slice Or A Whole 🍓 Strawberry Pie!!!”Why Did They Take Away One Of My Most Favorites!!!”
I never heard of big boy until like 2013 I myself live in pennsylvania but I am well aware of the largest ever locomotive the union pacific big boy when I learned of it in like 2011 and I was so confused and said to myself “now what does some fat kid have to do with locomotives” I then learned that two american icons share the same name and I thought to myself “huh, thats really something”
Ours used to be named TJ’s big boy in North Syracuse, NY & my maternal grandparents loved it taking out our family for meals there. In fact they frowned upon McDonald’s by the way. I loved the Annie and Archie comics they had there for kids activity books & like it better than McDonald’s. Too bad they closed down. Burger patties fresher at Big Boy restaurants too.
I grew up in northeast Ohio, and I’ve always known it to be Bob’s Big Boy. Never heard of Frisch’s. Do remember the change to Elias Brothers, though. And I went to a bunch o Big Boys in the 80s-90s. All those closed by the late 90s, though. Haven’t seen one since. Loved their food, especially that one special dessert. And when I was a kid I loved those comic books. Wish I would’ve saved them all. I hear they sell for a lot now.
At Bob’s Big Boy right now. In between AA meetings, at 47 I am getting sober again. I went from eating and drinking at 5 star hotels (drinking myself into blackouts)…… Now I am drinking Soda water and waiting for my double decker cheeseburger. The salad was terrible, but it came with the combo. The wait staff here are a tad bit lazy, but I am trying to stay positive. God Bless you all.
I met my wife working at Frisch’s Big Boy in High School. I ran the drive thru and she was the hostess. So obviously, it has a special place in our heart. We both worked there for around six years. Very unique work environment to say it nicely. It would be fair to say there was a lot of extracurricular activity.🤪😁🚬🚬Today we have been together for 25 years and married for 20. We are the perfect match. I think my lucky stars that I ended up working at Big Boy on the other side of town. Because the store I was working at closed. Because they opened a brand new Big Boy in my area. They offered six or seven people from my store a $.25 raise. If we transferred to Big Boy 25 minutes away. I didn’t plan on working for big boy anymore. However, I had to go to that Frisch’s Big Boy to get my last check. When I did the manager talked me in to getting on the schedule. Greatest move I’ve ever made. She is the best words can’t describe how much I love her. I don’t know where I would be without her. She makes me better in every way possible. P.S. Our salt and pepper shakers were stolen from Frisch’s. If one breaks, we steal another one
I have a story about the Bob’s statue: a few decades ago, my two brothers and a friend of theirs unbolted one from it’s plinth and brought it home. Several days later, one of my brothers painted it in blackface, and they both returned it to it’s spot. That happened here in San Diego. There was actually some news coverage, both on the theft, and the return. 🤣🤗