The A&W Burger Family first appeared in 1963 when A&W introduced three choices of hamburgers and their corresponding Burger Family members: Papa Burger, Mama Burger, and Baby Burger. The Teen Burger and Teen Burger statue were introduced in 1964. Canada used a Grandpa Burger in its advertising but he was never used in the U.S. Canada still uses the heads of the five family members in its advertising. These statues were originally produced for A&W by International Fiberglass. I believe the original paint had a glitter/flake element. A full set cost about $1,800 at that time. The statues were delivered by flatbed truck. I'm told that, later, these statues were also produced in Ohio. There were plans to build them in Canada but I don't believe they were ever made or displayed there. About 200 sets of these statues were produced from 1963 until around 1967. There are now only about a half dozen sets with all four statues on public display. Most of those statues were acquired one or two at a time to build the full sets. The Papa Burger statue, which is the tallest, is 8 1/2 feet tall and his mug is 3 feet tall. The mugs were originally part of the statues. Later, they were built separately and bolted to the statues when they were installed at their locations. Some locations only purchased Papa Burgers rather than the full set of statues. International Fiberglass sold Papa for around $600. This photo first photo shows A&W executives and Steve Dashew (far right) discussing the statues' designs. This photo shows a truck and trailer loaded with the statues for distribution. [International Fiberglass vintage photos courtesy of Terry Nelson] In 1974, A&W introduced the Great Root Bear as their new mascot and instructed their restaurant operators to use him in their advertising. The stores were also encouraged to destroy their Burger Family statues at that point but many of them were saved. These pages in this section are organized alphabetically by state.

Burger Family Willcox, AZ (now Santa Maria, CA)

This Burger Family was located the former Carter's Drive-in. Carter's was built in 1958 as an A&W drive-in. The building style with the pylon was typical of those shown at this page. The Papa Burger and Mama Burger stood in back near the picnic tables, while the Teen Burger (note the "T" on his chest) was out front next to the road. The Teen Burger spun in the wind on his platform which had a functioning, revolving mechanism at one time. The Mama and Papa revolved originally, too. This Papa Burger held a hot dog instead of a mug for some time. According to the original owners, there was never a Baby Burger at this location. The photos above are from 2008. Sometime after 2011, the repurposed oval A&W sign frame was replaced with a rectangular backlit box sign. Carter's closed in 2013. In 2015, the place reopened as Adolfo's Taco Shop and the statues were sold. In 2016, the statues were restored and sold by an antiques dealer to a private collector in Santa Maria, CA (see below). For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Baby Burger, Teen Burger, & Mama Burger Chamblee, GA (now Santa Maria, CA) 2010:

2015:

These Baby Burger, Teen Burger, & Mama Burger statues were located at Biggar Antiques in 2010 when these photos were taken. There was no Papa Burger. The Teen Burger's "T" advertised for "Downtown Wings." Does anyone know where these statues were installed originally? In 2011, these statues were sold and shipped to a private collector in Santa Maria, CA (see below). The move was featured on the TV show "Shipping Wars." The owner acquired a Papa Burger from New Jersey to complete the set. That statue was previously located at a Burger Boy restaurant in Washington.

Burger Family Santa Maria, CA

This Burger Family is also owned by the same person that owns the other statues described above. These statues came from a collector in Billings, MT. It is not known where they were installed originally. The Teen Burger is stored indoors while the other three statues are displayed outside in his back yard. These photos are from 2015. In 2016, this collector also acquired the three statues from Willcox, AZ (see above). In 2019, he acquired additional statues: three Baby Burgers, a Mama Burger, and a Papa Burger.

Teen Burger [gone] Lemoore, CA

This Teen Burger in Lemoore stood on the roof of the Forty One Cafe (located on Highway 41). The first two photos are from 2008. By 2013, the statue was leaning significantly to the right. The third photo above is from 2014. The statue was removed in 2018. It is now in a private collection.

Papa Burger Oceanside, CA
2014:	2018:

The Papa Burger in Oceanside stands in front of Angelo's Burgers. I don't know if there was previously an A&W here or if the statue was brought here from a former location. The statue was repainted in 2017. [map]

Papa Burger Costa Mesa, CA (now Chico, CA)

2009:	2019:

This Papa Burger in Costa Mesa had been at the Costa Mesa Omelette Parlor since it opened in 1983. The statue was not altered. It was just repainted unconventionally. In 2010, the place closed and the statue was sold and moved to the Madison Bear Garden in Chico, CA. Before it was put on display inside that restaurant, the statue was repainted again in an equally unconventional way. [Costa Mesa photo thanks Susan Adkins]

Burger Family Rexburg, ID (now Lodi, CA) 2008:

2020:

The Burger Family in Rexburg was missing the Teen Burger. The statues were originally displayed in 1963 at an A&W in St. Anthony, ID. They were removed by 1971 and put in storage at a residence in Rexburg. This photo from 2008 is from when the family brought the statues out temporarily to create attention for a yard sale. At that time, I was told that the statues were being sold to A&W corporate headquarters in Wisconsin. However, that never happened and A&W is actually headquartered in Lexington, KY. These statues remained in storage until 2018 when they were sold to the owner of the A&W in Lodi, CA. In 2019, the statues were put on display behind the restaurant with a Teen Burger that came from Nebraska. That statue is believed to have been displayed originally in Colorado. [map]

Papa Burger [gone] Sebastopol, CA	Baby Burger & Papa Burger Van Nuys, CA

The Papa Burger in Sebastopol was missing his mug and burger. The statue had been located at Renga Arts since at least 2014. He appeared to be gone in 2021. This Baby Burger and Papa Burger in Van Nuys are located inside the Valley Relics Museum. Their original location is unknown.

Wilkins' Root Beer Drive-in Selma, CA

The Wilkins' Root Beer Drive-in was originally an A&W Drive-in. There was probably an entire Burger Family here when it opened. The name was changed to Wilkins' Root Beer in 1975. For more, see this website. [map]

Papa & Baby Burger Modesto, CA

This A&W Drive-in opened in 1957. The Papa & Baby Burger are tucked away in the patio area. I assume that there was also a Mama Burger and Teen Burger here as well. There is also a vintage plastic sign and roller-skating car hops. In 2023, the business closed after an ADA lawsuit for not having handicapped parking spaces and accessibility issues. [map]

A&W Burger Family (page 2)

A&W Burger Family (page 3)

A&W Burger Family (page 4)

A&W Burger Family (page 5)

A&W Root Beer Stands

Statues Main Page

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