Isett found this seven-foot-tall statue in a North Dallas back yard.
That’s right: At Abrams and Trammel, you can find an original Kip’s Big Boy mascot, in all of his seven-foot-tall glory, hoisting a burger to passers by courtesy of White Rock Landscaping owner Gary Isett, who lives in the house on the intersection’s northeast corner.
Isett, a longtime Advocate advertiser, mounted the Big Boy a week or so ago after completing a small flagstone patio, Cowboy-star plant bed and new sod leading up to the Big Boy statue, which replaced a small Buddha that resided there originally. The nod to restaurant history is Isett’s way of getting some attention for his landscaping work, which is evidenced by the installation.
“I was doing a job in North Dallas, and it was in the back yard of a neighbor,” Isett says about his acquisition process. A little haggling later, the Big Boy was on its way to our neighborhood.
As we were talking next to the statue, a neighbor jogged by and yelled out: “Good work; reminds me of my childhood!” And another couple parked their pickup across the street and walked over for a photo opportunity.
Isett says he’s planning to have the statue refurbished soon at Rick Fairless’ Strokers Dallas cycle shop, and he has a couple of padlocks, lighting and other security measures to keep the statue from walking away in the meantime.
And don’t bother to ask him which Big Boy this guy once guarded: Isett says he doesn’t know.
“I think they all went away before I got my driver’s license,” he says.
White Rock Landscaping owner Gary Islett is using his own lawn and a Kip’s Big Boy mascot to promote his business.
The paint is peeling a bit, but the trademark smile and burger still attract a crowd.
