The A&W Burger Family is a fiberglass family of hamburger and root beer loving characters. The members of the burger family were introduced in 1963 to correspond with the menu of Canadian A&W fast food restaurants. Burgers came is four familial sizes — Papa Burger, Mama Burger, Baby Burger, and Teen Burger — and, therefore, so did their mascots. Fiberglass versions (crafted by International Fiberglass) of the A&W characters were distributed and displayed at locations in the 60s and early 70s but many disappeared by the mid-70s, when “Great Root Bear” came about and replaced them as the mascot.
Today, there are fewer A&W restaurants and these A&W characters are a rare site but, some families (or, broken families) can still be found on the roadside today. There was one such A&W Burger Family in Rolla, Missouri that I saw on my road trip around Missouri. And more characters can also be found at Paul’s Daughter on Coney Island.
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In Rolla, mama, papa, and baby sat on top of a truck (formerly a larger trailer that read “Discount Grocery”) on the side of the Missouri Route 66 highway with burgers in one hand and root beers in the other. But big brother must be back in line for food, because he’s nowhere to be found! (Actually, the teen boy was once there, but went missing in 2009.)
Word has it that all of these Missouri roadside attractions were removed and put into storage in 2010. They were later restored and displayed in front of Mule Trading Post in Rolla, but, when that business later closed in 2020, back into storage they went.
So now Rolla is no longer home of the burger family: they must have all gone back to the restaurant to fill up their frosty mugs!
A&W Papa Burger.
A&W Mama Burger.
A&W Baby Burger.
A&W Happy Family on top of a truck.
A and W Burger Family.
Looking for more Rolla, Missouri attractions? Check out the replica of Stonehenge nearby!
A&W Burger Family Statues
GONE: Reported Missing in 2010
Former Location: 12799 Old Highway 66, Rolla, MO
Cost: Free
Hours: Daylight Hours.
Date: June 7, 2009
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