Well, Buttercup… I’v e always told Charlie even adults are not to old to learn something new. This morning I have to admit something. I had never heard of Chicken Boy.

And when I saw Chicken Boy’s Day on the September 1 holiday list, I thought, Okay…what in the world is Chicken Boy? So I started looking. And I’m glad I did. Because this #Holiday was a #TeachingMoment for my family and would have been something Charlie could have studied when he was in school.

Did you know Chicken Boy Day isn’t just another silly holiday where we make up something to do with chicken. This is a story about a giant fiberglass statue, an old Los Angeles restaurant, roadside Americana, and one woman who decided that something strange and wonderful was worth saving.

And around here, you know I love that kind of story. So… Who Is Chicken Boy? Picture this. You’re driving down the street in Los Angeles. Which is on my #BucketList. How about yours?

Then you look up. And standing on top of a restaurant is a 22-foot-tall man with the body of a giant lumberjack and the head of a chicken. He’s wearing a red shirt and blue pants. And he’s holding a bucket. Yep. That’s Chicken Boy.

Chicken Boy was created in the 1960s as a giant fiberglass advertising figure for a restaurant called Chicken Boy Fried Chicken in downtown Los Angeles. The restaurant was located on Broadway between Fourth and Fifth Streets, and Chicken Boy stood on its roof beginning in 1969.

And suddenly the name makes a whole lot more sense. He was there to get people’s attention. And I’d say he did a pretty good job. But What Happened to the Restaurant? I something David and Charlie wanted to know.

Chicken Boy remained on the restaurant roof for years but then, in 1984, the restaurant closed. And Chicken Boy’s future wasn’t looking very good. He could have been torn down, forgotten, and eventually ended up as nothing more than a strange memory from old Los Angeles.

But someone wasn’t willing to let that happen. Enter Amy Inouye. Amy was a graphic designer who had become fascinated with Chicken Boy. When she learned the restaurant was closing and the statue was in danger, she stepped in to save him.

And here’s the part I really love. She didn’t rescue a little garden statue. She rescued a 22-foot-tall fiberglass chicken man. Imagine trying to explain that to your neighbors. “Oh, don’t mind that. I’m just saving Chicken Boy.”

Saving him was only the beginning. Chicken Boy spent years in storage while Amy worked toward finding him a permanent home. For more than two decades, he wasn’t standing proudly above a restaurant or welcoming travelers.

He was waiting. Then in 2007, Chicken Boy finally got another chance. He was installed on top of Amy’s Future Studio in Highland Park, Los Angeles, where he remains a beloved local landmark. And just like that… Chicken Boy was back.

Now, this is where this strange little chicken story becomes personal. My family has always loved roadside Americana. Give me the old signs. Give me the giant statues. Give me the weird little attractions you weren’t expecting to find.

Give me the places that make you pull the car over and say, “Wait…what is THAT?” And one of the things on my bucket list is to travel Route 66. It was something Suzanne wanted to do before she passed away.

So when I started learning about Chicken Boy and his place in that world of giant roadside figures and Americana, I couldn’t help but stop and think about her. Sometimes the strangest little discoveries can connect us to people, memories, dreams, and places we’ve never even visited.

And that’s one reason I love learning about these odd little pieces of American history. That’s probably the biggest lesson I took away from this. At first glance, Chicken Boy is just funny. He’s weird. He’s enormous.

He’s a chicken-headed man holding a bucket. But then you learn his story. Someone built him to get customers into a restaurant. People grew attached to him. A woman cared enough to save him. He spent years waiting for another home.

And eventually, he became something bigger than a restaurant advertisement. He became a piece of Los Angeles history and roadside Americana. He even received the California Governor’s Historic Preservation Award in 2010. Not bad for a giant chicken.

Since we’re celebrating Chicken Boy’s Day, I thought we needed to do something a little silly ourselves. So I’m making a Chicken Boy coloring sheet and activity printable for the younger kids. And we’re not just going to color him. We’re going to invent our own Chicken Boy!

Here’s the question: What would YOUR Chicken Boy’s name be? Would he be: Chicken Charlie? Cluck Norris? Sir Clucks-a-Lot? Or would you come up with something completely different?

And then comes my favorite question… Would your Chicken Boy actually eat chicken? Or would he eat something completely different? Maybe he eats pizza. Maybe he eats tacos.

Maybe he only eats pancakes. Maybe he loves vegetables. Maybe he doesn’t eat food at all and survives on video games! That’s the fun part. There is no wrong answer. Draw your Chicken Boy. Color him. Give him a name. Decide what he eats. And tell us why.

That’s what I love about these unusual holidays. You start out thinking you’re just learning about a giant chicken statue. Then suddenly you’re talking about history which can be a #Homeschool Lesson.

You’re talking about advertising. You’re talking about art. You’re talking about saving something that other people might have considered useless. You’re talking about travel and roadside Americana. And maybe you’re even talking about a dream someone in your family had for someday.

So today, we’re going to celebrate something I didn’t even know existed yesterday. Happy Chicken Boy’s Day! And Chicken Boy… I hope someday I get to see you in person. Because if I’m ever traveling Route 66 and I see a 22-foot-tall chicken-headed man holding a bucket, you can bet I’m stopping the car.

Well, Buttercup…you never know what you’re going to learn when you start looking. And today, I learned about Chicken Boy. What are YOU going to learn today? Or do you have a unique #Roadside attraction you can share with us?

GreatfulMoments.com

Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates