Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
An original "Big Boy" plastic sculpture from a Marc's restaurant, ca. 1971
"Big Boy" trade figure, 1971-1985.
In the late 1950s, Milwaukee-based theater owner Ben Marcus met with Bob Wian, California inventor of the double-decker hamburger (the "Big Boy"). Marcus bought the regional franchise rights to Big Boy restaurants and opened the first one in Milwaukee. Eventually the Marcus Corporation operated more than 60 Big Boy restaurants (called "Marc's") in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. This plastic trade figure was typical of those that stood outside the restaurants as a trademark icon; it is from a Big Boy that operated on South Park Street in Madison, 1971-1985. It was probably made by Fiberglass Animals, Shapes and Trademarks Corporation (F.A.S.T.) of Sparta, who manufactured fiberglass sculptures, including Big Boys, for more than 40 years.
| Related Topics: |
Industrialization and Urbanization Automobile Culture |
| Creator: | anonymous |
| Pub Data: | Big Boy From the Big Boy restaurant on South Park Street, Madison, Wisconsin, 1971-1985. Original artifact in the Wisconsin Historical Museum (Museum object #1993.52) |
| Citation: | Big Boy Big Boy trade figure from the Big Boy restaurant on South Park Street, Madison, Wisconsin, 1971-1985. In the Wisconsin Historical Museum (Museum object #1993.52) Online facsimile at: http://wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1028; Visited on: 4/25/2024 |
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