A&W ROOT BEER FAMILY (page 1)

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.

Mama Burger & Papa Burger Brooklyn, NY

This Papa Burger and Mama Burger are on the roof of a Coney Island Boardwalk snack bar. In 2009, the Rocket between the two statues was removed as part of a redevelopment project. While there are plans to reinstall the rocket elsewhere, it is not clear what will happen with these statues.

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 Portland, OR

These Portland Burger Family statues are located in the backyard of a private residence. The unrestored 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 here to Portland in 2006 and will be restored. The same owners acquired this complete Burger Family in 2007. The figures were found in a field in South Dakota around 1995 and then brought to northern California. They were restored and repainted their original colors. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Burger Family Casper, WY	Mama Burger Hatch, NM

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 Hatch Mama Burger has been at Franciscan RV since around 2007. She came from a collector in CA. Since this photo was taken in 2008, she has been moved to the roof of Sparky's restaurant. There is also a Muffler Man at the same dealership. The restaurant and dealership are owned by the same man, Teaku Nunn.

Circle T Drive-in Belen, NM

The owner of the Circle T Drive-in bought a complete A&W Family from a Denver area A&W in the 1980s. He split up the family between his two restaurants. Around 2003, he sold the Papa, Mama and Baby to a friend in Lemitar (see below). For more, see this website.

Burger Family Lemitar, NM (now Hatch, NM)

The Lemitar Burger Family was originally located in a Denver suburb (see the Belen Teen Burger above). They were in Lemitar since around 2003. In 2008, after these photos were taken, they were sold to Teaku Nunn in Hatch, NM who also owns the Mama Burger shown above. The figures have now been repainted. The Papa Burger from this group and his original Mama Burger are now on the roof of his restaurant (Sparky's). For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Burger Family Hillsboro, OR

This Hillsboro Burger Family was originally installed in front of the A&W in town. The Teen Burger statue disappeared in the 1970s and it's not clear what happened to him. After the A&W closed in the 1980s, the three remaining statues were declared a Cultural Resource. They wound up at a pizza place where their burgers were painted to look like fat pizzas and their root beers became Cokes. Their clothing was also repainted. Later, they were moved across the street as "pop art". In 1990, they were donated to the City. They were restored, repainted their original colors, and installed in Shute Park Aquatic & Recreation Center in 1993. In 1996, a Teen Burger was discovered in Longview, WA to complete the family. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

A&W Family (page 2)

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