Today is National Big Boy Day.
Long before fast food chains covered every freeway exit, Bob’s Big Boy helped define what the American family restaurant could be. When Bob Wian introduced the original double-decker Big Boy hamburger in Glendale, California, in 1937, it became one of the first signature burgers that people would travel specifically to eat. The combination of car culture, diners, drive-ins, and roadside architecture made Big Boy an icon of postwar America.
The smiling Big Boy statue carrying his oversized hamburger became just as recognizable as the restaurant itself. Today, original fiberglass statues have become highly sought-after collectibles, with surviving examples often selling for thousands of dollars. They represent much more than a restaurant chain. They remind people of family dinners, road trips, classic cars, and an era when the neighborhood diner was often the center of the community.
I photographed this statue in the window of an antique store in Julian, California. Between the reflections in the glass and the familiar smile, it seemed to capture exactly what nostalgia looks like. Sometimes an old restaurant mascot can tell a bigger story than the meal it was created to advertise.
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