the first day of September.
But I bet you don't know
that it's also Chicken Boy Day.
So named in celebration
of his birthday.
Chicken Boy is a roadside icon,
erected in the 1960's atop
a fried chicken restaurant in Los Angeles.
A twenty-two foot boy
with the head of a chicken
and holding a bucket of deep fried bird-
this fiberglass statue was a famous landmark
on Route 66 for many years.
When the restaurant was closed in 1984,
Ellen Bloom and her friends
decided that Chicken Boy was worth saving
and made arrangements to have him moved
to her house.
Poor boy!
He laid there for twenty three years.
Ellen kept him all that time.
She knew that there would be a special place
for him someday.
She even began publishing a catalog
which she describes as:
"the Chicken Boy Catalog for a Perfect World--a catalog of gift items including Chicken Boy logo merchandise and things Chicken Boy would be proud to have in his home or give as a lovely hostess gift."
Her gallant efforts helped save and preserve Chicken Boy.
And in the autumn of 2007,
she finally found him a new home.
Chicken Boy now stands proudly once again
atop the rooftop of Future Studio Design & Gallery
on Historic Route 66.
This little story just goes to prove
that even when you think your glory days are over...
even if you've been abandoned for years
and feel forgotten-
there is hope.
Someone will find you
and love you.
And you'll live happily ever after...
Happy Birthday, Chicken Boy!
