A&W ROOT BEER FAMILY

The A&W Burger Family may not be the biggest giants out there but they are arguably the cutest. In 1963, A&W introduced four choices of hamburgers and their corresponding Burger Family members: Papa Burger, Mama Burger, Baby Burger, and Teen Burger. Canada had a Grandpa Burger but he was never used in the U.S. The statues were created for A&W by International Fiberglass. Papa Burger stands 8 1/2' feet tall while his mug is 3' tall. In 1974, A&W introduced the Great Root Bear as the new mascot and directed location operators to use him in their advertising. The stores were also encouraged to get rid of their Burger Family statues but many of them did not.

Burger Family Rolla, MO

The Rolla Family is on top of a tractor trailer visible from I-44. The advertising for "Goodies Discount Grocery" on the side of the trailer refers to the store/building behind it.

Papa Burger & Mama Burger Brooklyn, NY

This Papa Burger and Mama Burger are on the roof of a Coney Island Boardwalk snackbar. Mama Burger was repainted around 2003 (photo at right) to advertise Brooklyn Brewery and Sabrett Hot Dogs (on sale at the stand below).

Mama, Baby & Teen Burger [gone] Cortez, CO

This partial Burger Family (no Papa) was on the roof of an antique shop. As of 2006, they are gone. [photos thanks Rich Birley]

Teen Burgers & Baby Burger Magic Forest Lake George, NY

The Lake George Teen Burgers and Baby Burger are among many giant statues at Magic Forest. The Teen Burgers have been altered to hold ice cream cones. One of them has a tongue sticking out which may or may not have been the original design as I have seen just as many with/without this detail.

Teen Burger Cambridge, KS	Eskimo King Swansea, MA		Marion's Dairy Bar East Tawas, MI	Papa Burger Rt. I-80, IA

The Cambridge Teen Burger was originally on the roof of an A&W in Burden, KS. He is now on display in someone's front yard. [photo thanks Glenda Campbell] The Eskimo King is another altered Teen Burger with a cone. I don't know if this stand was once an A&W or if the statue was moved here from someplace else. Marion's Dairy Bar features a greatly altered Teen Burger on its roof. The IA Papa Burger is a postcard image. I don't know what city he is/was from. He is most likely the same one that now resides with the rest of his family in Tipton, IA (shown below).

Burger Family Tipton, IA

This Burger Family has been here at the mini golf of Hunt's Cedar River Campground since at least the early 1970s. The figures were repainted in 1999. At one point, the "T" on Teen Burger's sweater was changed to an "I" for the Iowa Hawkeyes but it has since been changed back. [info thanks Rich Birley] For more, see this website.

Burger Family Casper, WY	Burger Family Portland, OR	Papa Burger Portland, OR

The Casper Burger Family stands on the canopy of an A&W. I don't know if this is where they were displayed originally or if the figures were moved there later. These figures are painted the original colors, although the faces were initially flesh colored. The Portland Burger Family and Papa Burger are located in the backyard of a private residence. The Papa Burger was originally in Santa Clara, CA. In the 1970s, he was moved to a pumpkin patch / produce stand and remodeled to look like a farmer. He was moved to Portland in 2006 and will be restored. The same owners acquired the Burger Family in 2007. These figures were found in a field in SD around 1995 and then brought to northern CA. They have been restored and repainted their original colors. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [photos thanks Jeff at VintageRoadside.com]

Mama Burger Hatch, NM

The Hatch Mama Burger has been at Franciscan RV since around 2007. She came from a collector in CA. There is also a Muffler Man at the same location. The Mama Burger will be moving to the roof of Sparky's BBQ restaurant which is scheduled to open in June. The restaurant is owned by the same man that owns the RV dealership.

Burger Family Lemitar, NM

The Lemitar Burger Family is long since separated from its A&W stand and the Teen Burger is missing. Perhaps he is the one in Belen, NM (see below). For more, see this website.

Mr. Bill's Drive-in South Glens Falls, NY

Mr. Bill's Drive-in offers car hop service. The building was originally an A&W and the Papa Burger was left in place. It became Zookie's Drive-in sometime in the 1970s and became Mr. Bill's in 2001. In 2004, the Papa Burger was completely refurbished (see photo at right) and the drive-in is doing great business.

Mile Hill Collision Tunkhannock, PA

The Mile Hill Collision Papa Burger has been transformed into a repairman. His mug has been converted into a paint sprayer (or is it a welding torch?) and he holds aloft a car instead of a burger. He now wears a cap and has a bit more hair than the original design. I'm not sure what the purpose of the door in his back is/was. This guy has been here for many years and is in great shape. The tribute to him in the company's sign is further proof of their dedication to him.

Papa Burger Biddeford, ME

The Biddeford Papa Burger was previously at D'Allaire's Motel and Cottages where they have some other statuary (including this leaping deer). In 2003, D'Allaire's sold their Papa Burger to TJ's Pizza which is just down the street. They plan to fix him up and put him on the roof. For now, he is stashed in the back of the store (hence the poor lighting and angle of my photos). TJ's has an expanding display of collectibles so it seems Papa Burger has found a good home. I don't know if they will replace or substitute for the mug and burger missing from his hands. This guy is heavily lipstick-ed and has golf balls for eyes (perhaps a carryover from D'Allaire's which had a mini golf). For more, see this website.

Burger Family Willcox, AZ

This Burger Family is part of Carter's Drive-in. Carter's is a former A&W drive-in that was built in 1958. It has the same building style as many of the buildings shown at this page. The Papa Burger and Mama Burger are by the picnic tables, while the Teen Burger (note the "T" on his chest) is out front next to the road. The Teen Burger spins with the wind on his platform which, most likely, had a functioning, revolving mechanism at one time. The Mama and Papa once revolved at one time, too. This Papa Burger held a hot dog instead of a mug for some time. I don't know what became of their Baby Burger. For more, see this website.

Shirley May's Albany, OR	Circle T Drive-in Belen, NM

This Albany Teen Burger stands in front of Shirley May's, a cafe. He's been there since at least the early 1990s. [photo thanks Jeff at Vintage Roadside] The Circle T Drive-in must have either been an A&W drive-in or they acquired the Teen Burger figure from someplace else. For more, see this website.

Forty One Cafe Lemoore, CA

This Lemoore Teen Burger stands on the roof of the Forty One Cafe (located on Highway 41). [photo thanks Jeff at Vintage Roadside]

More A&W Burger Family Members: Papa Burger (Oceanside, CA) Papa Burger (Selma, CA) Teen Burger (Sheldon, IA) Papa Burger (Chesterfield, MI) Papa Burger (Fairbault, MN) Papa Burger (Spring Valley, MN) Teen Burger (Lordsburg, NM) [gone] Burger Family: 1, 2 (Hillsboro, OR) There is some similarity between the Burger Family and Bob's Big Boy statues but I don't know which came first. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

A&W Burger Family Members for Sale: Let me know if you are looking to buy or sell one of these statues. Teen Burger in Liberal, KS: Leanne Wenzel, leannewenzel@hotmail.com, (620) 624-6441

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