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Chicken Boy is a statue located on North Figueroa Street in the Highland Park district of Los Angeles. The 22-foot tall fiberglass statue was recognized by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with the Governor's Historic Preservation Award in 2010.^[1]

History

The statue was originally built in the 1960s for the Chicken Boy Fried Chicken Restaurant, which was located in Downtown Los Angeles on Broadway between 4th and 5th streets, near the Grand Central Market. At that time, International Fiberglass Company of Venice was manufacturing roadside Paul Bunyan and Muffler Man statues for use as outdoor advertising. The Chicken Boy restaurant bought one and hired an artist to customize it. A chicken head was fabricated to replace the man's head. The arms were re-worked to face forward and hold a bucket, rather than an axe. The statue remained in place until 1984 when the restaurant owner died. The statue was eventually given to artist Amy Inouye. She stored it^[2] until 2007, when she moved the Chicken Boy statue to its current location at 5558 North Figueroa Street.^[3] Her design firm, Future Studio, had relocated to a commercial space that had a reinforced roof strong enough to support the statue. The Chicken Boy statue was preserved as a result of community effort and donated funds.

Awards

Governor's Historic Preservation Award, Sacramento, California, 2010.
Community Beautification Grant, City of Los Angeles, 2005-2006.
California Preservation Foundation, Three Minute Success Story, 2009.
Highland Park Heritage Trust Preservation Award, 2009-2010.
Commendation, City of Los Angeles, 2009.
Commendation, California State Assembly, Sacramento, California, 2010.

References

^ Erin Richards. "Chicken-Boy Saviors Receive Award". www.nbclosangeles.com.
^ Inouye, Amy: The True Story of Chicken Boy, Future Studio, Los Angeles, 2010.
^ Rodriguez, Gregory: "Op-Ed", Los Angeles Times, "Chicken Boy Lives," March 14, 2011

External links

Official website - www.chickenboy.com
"Muffler Men". www.roadsideamerica.com.

34°06′31″N 118°11′39″W / 34.10848°N 118.1942°W / 34.10848; -118.1942

[1] Erin Richards. "Chicken-Boy Saviors Receive Award". www.nbclosangeles.com.

[2] Inouye, Amy: The True Story of Chicken Boy, Future Studio, Los Angeles, 2010.

[3] Rodriguez, Gregory: "Op-Ed", Los Angeles Times, "Chicken Boy Lives," March 14, 2011

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Fiberglass statue in Highland Park, Los Angeles}}
 [[File:Chicken Boy statue Los Angeles.jpg|thumb|right|Chicken Boy]]
-'''Chicken Boy''' is a landmark statue on the historic [[U.S. Route 66]] (North Figueroa Street) in the [[Highland Park, California|Highland Park]], California area of [[Los Angeles]].  The colorful 22-foot tall fiberglass statue was recognized by [[California]] Governor [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] with the ''Governor's Historic Preservation Award'' in 2010.<ref>*http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Chicken-Boy-Saviors-to-Be-Awarded-109291004.html</ref>
+'''Chicken Boy''' is a statue located on North [[Figueroa Street]] in the [[Highland Park, California|Highland Park]] district of [[Los Angeles]].  The 22-foot tall fiberglass statue was recognized by [[Governor of California|Governor]] [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] with the ''Governor's Historic Preservation Award'' in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Chicken-Boy-Saviors-to-Be-Awarded-109291004.html |title=Chicken-Boy Saviors Receive Award |author=Erin Richards |website=www.nbclosangeles.com}}</ref>
 ==History==
+[[File:Chicken Boy on Broadway L,A. 1977.jpg|thumb|right|Chicken Boy at the original location in July 1977]]
-Chicken Boy was first perched atop a fried chicken restaurant in downtown Los Angeles on Broadway (also Historic Route 66) between 4th and 5th streets, near L.A.'s [[Grand Central Market]] in the 1960s.  At that time, International Fiberglass Company, in [[Venice]], California, was manufacturing the more familiar roadside Paul Bunyan and Muffler Man statues for use as outdoor advertising.  The Los Angeles chicken restaurant bought one and hired an artist to customize it.  A chicken head was fabricated to replace the man's head. T he arms were re-worked to face forward and hold a bucket, rather than as the axe-wielding original.  The iconic downtown statue remained in place until 1984 when the restaurant owner died.   The statue was given to Amy Inouye, after many queries and requests, and it went into storage until a suitable location could be found, as it turned out some 20 years later.<ref>Inouye, Amy: ''The True Story of Chicken Boy,'' Future Studio, Los Angeles, 2010.</ref>
+The statue was originally built in the 1960s for the Chicken Boy Fried Chicken Restaurant, which was located in [[Downtown Los Angeles]] on [[Broadway (Los Angeles)|Broadway]] between 4th and 5th streets, near the [[Grand Central Market]]. At that time, [[International Fiberglass]] Company of [[Venice, California|Venice]] was manufacturing roadside Paul Bunyan and [[Muffler Men|Muffler Man]] statues for use as outdoor advertising. The Chicken Boy restaurant bought one and hired an artist to customize it. A chicken head was fabricated to replace the man's head. The arms were re-worked to face forward and hold a bucket, rather than an axe. The statue remained in place until 1984 when the restaurant owner died. The statue was eventually given to artist Amy Inouye. She stored it<ref>Inouye, Amy: ''The True Story of Chicken Boy,'' Future Studio, Los Angeles, 2010.</ref> until 2007, when she moved the Chicken Boy statue to its current location at 5558 North Figueroa Street.<ref>Rodriguez, Gregory: "Op-Ed", ''Los Angeles Times'', "Chicken Boy Lives," March 14, 2011</ref> Her design firm, Future Studio, had relocated to a commercial space that had a reinforced roof strong enough to support the statue. The Chicken Boy statue was preserved as a result of community effort and donated funds.
-Amy Inouye, a Los Angeles art director, saved, then stored Chicken Boy and in 2007 moved the statue to its current location at 5558 North Figueroa.<ref>Rodriguez, Gregory: "Op-Ed", ''Los Angeles Times'', "Chicken Boy Lives," March 14, 2011</ref> Inouye's design firm, Future Studio, had relocated to a commercial space that had a reinforced roof strong enough to support the statue.  The Chicken Boy statue was recovered as a result of community effort and donated funds.
-<blockquote>Initially saved by designer Amy Inouye when its downtown fast-food home was leveled, Chicken Boy languished in storage for two decades -- its head in one unit, its torso in another. Finally, the city allowed her to install it atop her Highland Park studio as an "art installation," writes ''L.A. Times'' columnist Steve Harvey.<ref>Harvey, Steve: "Look closely for L.A.'s whimsical architecture of yesteryear," ''Los Angeles Times'', May 18, 2008.</ref></blockquote>
-==Other customized statues==
-There are other notable customized statues still standing:  ''The [[Gemini Giant]]'' in Wilmington, Illinois, holds a rocket ship and wears a helmet; ''Tall Paul'' in Atlanta, Illinois, holds a giant hot dog; and ''El Salsero'' in Malibu, California, wears a sombrero and holds a serving tray. Road-trip and pop culture fanatics seek them out and catalogue them on websites.<ref>*http://www.roadsideamerica.com</ref>
-==In  popular culture==
-Chicken Boy's ceremonial birthday is September 1, 1969 as listed in ''Chase Annual Events'' book, a volume for US morning DJs listing important and whacky birthdays for each day.
-He has been profiled by the BBC.
 == Awards ==
@@ Line 21: / Line 11: @@
 *''Governor's Historic Preservation Award'', Sacramento, California, 2010.
 *''Community Beautification Grant,'' City of Los Angeles, 2005-2006.
-*California Preservation Foundation, ''Three Minute Success Story, 2009.
+*California Preservation Foundation, ''Three Minute Success Story'', 2009.
 *Highland Park Heritage Trust ''Preservation Award'', 2009-2010.
 *''Commendation'', City of Los Angeles, 2009.
@@ Line 31: / Line 21: @@
 == Further reading ==
-*Ankrom, Richard: “Art. Stuff. Chicken,” ''Coagula Art Journal'', #85, April 2007.
+*{{cite journal |author=Ankrom, Richard |title=Art. Stuff. Chicken |journal=Coagula Art Journal |date=April 2007}} #85
-*Kim Kabar: “Men at Work,” ''Westways Magazine'', Jan/Feb 2012.
+*Kim Kabar (Jan/Feb 2012). "Men at Work". ''Westways Magazine''.
 *Lovett, Anthony and Matt Maranian, ''L.A. Bizarro: The All-New Insider's Guide to the Obscure, the Absurd, and the Perverse in Los Angeles'', [[Chronicle Books]], San Francisco, September 2009.
 *McFadden, Cyra: "Catalog-weary flock to Chicken Boy," ''San Francisco Examiner'' (National edition), Sunday, Nov. 19, 1989.
+*{{cite journal | last=Parks-Ramage | first=Jonathan | title=One Woman's Fight to Save a 22-Foot-Tall Fiberglass Chicken | date=August 7, 2016| journal=Vice|url=https://www.vice.com/read/one-womans-fight-to-save-a-22-foot-tall-fiberglass-chicken}}
 == External links ==
-*{{official|http://www.chickenboy.com}}
+* {{official|http://www.chickenboy.com}} - www.chickenboy.com
-*http://www.roadsideamerica.com/muffler/
+* {{cite web|url=http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/37422 |title=Muffler Men |website=www.roadsideamerica.com}}
-*http://www.waymarking.com
-{{coord|34.01526|-118.4933|type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-CA|display=title}}
+{{coord|34.10848|-118.1942|type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-CA|display=title}}
-[[Category:Visitor attractions along U.S. Route 66]]
+[[Category:Tourist attractions along U.S. Route 66]]
 [[Category:Landmarks in California]]
+[[Category:1960s establishments in California]]