The BBBBIIIIGGGG Chicken

The BBBBIIIIGGGG Chicken - Marietta, GA

"...turn left at the Big Chicken."

Landmarks, before the era of GPS navigation, physical places, man-made or not, were often used in directions to help get from one place to another.

"...one mile South of the Big Chicken."

On US 41 in Marietta, Georgia - a 56-foot tall red-and-white chicken - complete with a moving beak and rolling eyes - dominates the suburban commercial strip. You can see it from nearby Interstate 75 - it's simply known as The BIG Chicken.

The story of The Big Chicken dates back to 1963. Stanly "Tubby" Davis wanted a unique way to promote his Johnny Reb's Chick-Chuck-'N'-Shake. The restaurant served fried chicken, hamburgers, and milkshakes. It also was a drive-in offering curbside service.

Davis commissioned a local Georgia Tech student, Hubert Puckett, to design the roadside attraction. Puckett would later be involved in renovations to the structure after it sustained significant storm damage in 1993.

Close-up of the moving beak and rolling eyes of The Big Chicken.

Kentucky Fried Chicken would become the new home of The Big Chicken in 1974. Puckett sold his business to his brother, who would convert Johnny Reb's to a KFC franchise.

The seven-story attraction has survived numerous attempts to dismantle it. At first, Kentucky Fried Chicken did not like the locally beloved landmark. It would later try to move the bird to another Atlanta location. However, a January 1993 windstorm would cement The Big Chicken permanently at the corner of Cobb Parkway and Roswell.

The 1993 renovated version of The Big Chicken - (Joe Babyak - January 2008)

High winds had dislodged several steel panels from the body of the chicken. KFC officials were ready to move on and tear it down. Marietta and area residents protested as it had become a local attraction. Aircraft pilots also stepped in to support The Big Chicken. They used The Big Chicken as a landmark on their approaches to nearby airports. KFC relented - and a renovation project would restore the chicken back to operation the following year.

KFC enthusiastically embraced The Big Chicken in the 2017 remodel.

The Big Chicken would undergo a second renovation in 2017. A $2 million renovation updated the chicken, restaurant, and accompanying gift shop. The restaurant was updated to modern-KFC standards. And, to show how far KFC-corporate has changed its view of Puckett's chicken, the BIG Chicken is the centerpiece of all the local branding.

All photos taken by post author - March 2023 - unless otherwise noted.

Sources & Links:

The Big Chicken ---Marietta.com
The Big Chicken ---RoadsideAmerica.com
The Big Chicken ---AtlasObscura

How To Get There:

Comments

Old US Route 60/70 through Hell (Chuckwall Valley Road and Ragsdale Road)

Back in 2016 I explored some of the derelict roadways of the Sonoran Desert of Riverside County which were part of US Route 60/70; Chuckwalla Valley Road and Ragsdale Road. US 60 and US 70 were not part of the original run of US Routes in California. According to USends.com US 60 was extended into California by 1932. US 60 doesn't appear on the California State Highway Map until the 1934 edition. USends.com on US 60 endpoints 1934 State Highway Map Conversely US 70 was extended into California by 1934, it first appears on the 1936 State Highway Map. USends.com on US 70 endpoints 1936 State Highway Map When US 60 and US 70 were extended into California they both utilized what was Legislative Route Number 64 from the Arizona State Line west to Coachella Valley. LRN 64 was part of the 1919 Third State Highway Bond Act routes. The original definition of LRN 64 routed between Mecca in Blythe and wasn't extended to the Arizona State Line until 1931 acc...

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign. These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare. This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade. We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others? Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers. The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California. Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...

Paper Highways; Interstate H-4 through downtown Honolulu

The Hawaiian Island of O'ahu is home to four Interstate Highways; H-1, H-2, H-3 and H-201. Had history gone slightly differently during the 1960s a fifth Interstate corridor on O'ahu could have been constructed through downtown Honolulu and the neighborhood of Waikiki. The proposed corridor of Interstate H-4 can be seen above as it was presented by the Hawaii Department of Transportation during October 1968 . This page is part of the Gribblenation O'ahu Highways page. All Gribblenation and Roadwaywiz media related to the highway system of O'ahu can be found at the link below: https://www.gribblenation.org/p/gribblenation-oahu-highways-page.html The history of proposed Interstate H-4 The corridor of Interstate H-4 was conceived as largely following what is now Hawaii Route 92 on Nimitz Highway and Ala Moana Boulevard. Prior to the Statehood the first signed highways within Hawaii Territory came into existence during World War II. Dur...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog