Previously:
We all know that portly young lad who hoists a hamburger to the heavens as he beckons travelers to stop and enjoy some comfort food. Don't ask me why, but Big Boy restaurants (which have various names in various parts of the country) always seem like the place where people eat when they're on vacation or away from home. And that makes a road trip the perfect story for a Big Boy comic:
As you can probably imagine, this 16 page comic packed with coloring pages, puzzles and a kid's menu doesn't have a strong plot. The story involves Big Boy and his friends Katie and Tripp heading out to camp at an unnamed National Park. They head there in what I'm calling the "Big Boymobile," which I think is a huge missed merchandising opportunity. Here's a couple of looks at BB's sweet ride:
Why weren't we all playing with toy Big Boymobiles as kids? If they ever made any of these things, I never saw them. So when the gang gets to the park, Big Boy essentially lectures the other two about how great National Parks are and then (I assume the next day) they put out their campfire. And of course, for Big Boy's more fervent fans, we get this beefcake tease:
That's it. That's the story. It may not seem like much to you but I think it's the perfect "keep the kids busy" length for a family restaurant. And if you were a kid at Big Boy's in 1981 who was perusing this comic issue, what would you be eating? Well, these were your options:
Looks pretty good to me. But before we pay the check and pile back into the car, there's one more thing that's worth noting. In this issue, Big Boy pays a somewhat arbitrary yet seemingly long overdue homage to...sticks:
Yep, sticks are awesome. You can't deny that. They can do anything from scratching an itch to holding a venous snake at bay. Let's hear it for sticks!
So with that, it's back on the road to the next roadside attraction, National Park or restaurant that's just not in your hometown. Keep an eye open for Big Boy, he'll be holding up that hamburger for ya.
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