74:; it was assembled on site and then raised to the roof. The Bug was originally painted purple, the color of an actual swarming termite when observed under a microscope, but the paint soon faded to a pale blue and the landmark became so well known in that condition that it was never repainted to its original color. It was originally known only as the "Big Blue Bug," a name coined by Providence traffic reporter Mike Sheridan, until it received the name Nibbles Woodaway in a contest in 1990. Geraldine Perry of
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58:. It is claimed to be the world's largest artificial bug at 928 times the size of an actual termite, standing 9 feet (2.7 m) tall and 58 feet (18 m) long and weighing 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg). It was constructed over a four-day period from wire mesh and fiberglass in late 1980 at a cost of $ 20,000.
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The Bug left its home on June 20, 2002, for a five-stop tour. It was refurbished and painted a brighter blue before being returned to the roof of New
England Pest Control. On April 9, 2012, New England Pest Control announced that they would be changing the company's name to "Big Blue Bug Solutions".
70:. Anthony Pescarino, Tom Grenga, and Ronald Levesque assembled the sign over the course of a couple of months. Pescarino said, "We had to put the wings together and brought them to Valley Street to have them coated in fiberglass." It was fiberglassed by Robert Garafano, Sr. of
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baseball team (before the team relocated to
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In April 2020, in support of the "front line workers" facing COVID-19, the Big Blue Bug has put on a surgical mask.
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528:"RI may be the smallest state, but we have the world's largest Big Blue Bug"
437:"Rhode Islanders show we are all in this together — even the Big Blue Bug"
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by David
Pinault features the Big Blue Bug as a set piece and plot device.
98:). Since 1990, the company has sold stuffed toys in the Bug's likeness.
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has the lighting of the Big Blue Bug as a subject of several strips.
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It was featured on a state scratch-off lottery ticket in 1997.
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Roadside
America by Mike Wilkins, Ken Smith, and Doug Kirby
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Forliti, Amy (May 27, 2001) Article in The
Standard-Times
340:"In Rhode Island we set Guinness-worthy records every day"
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The bug has made numerous media appearances, including:
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in
Episode 39: Rhodeside Attractions: The Big Blue Bug
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The Big Blue Bug was built by Avenia Sign
Company of
418:"The PawSox Moved, but Pawtucket Has Yet to Move on"
378:"For 2-ton, blue termite, near-cult status in R.I."
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399:"Providence's iconic big blue bug gets a makeover"
520:For 2-ton, blue termite, near-cult status in R.I.
50:mascot of Big Blue Bug Solutions located along
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416:Barry, Dan; Hulin, Rachel (12 May 2021).
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102:The bug wore a necktie for the occasion.
435:Milkovits, Amanda; Fitzpatrick, Edward.
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637:Animal sculptures in the United States
90:, Halloween, the season opener of the
642:Colossal statues in the United States
602:Individual signs in the United States
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592:Roadside attractions in Rhode Island
27:Giant termite statue on Rhode Island
612:1980 establishments in Rhode Island
597:Culture of Providence, Rhode Island
443:. Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC
288:Weird New England by Joseph Citro.
86:The Bug is annually "dressed" for
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397:Klepper, David (April 9, 2012).
338:Patinkin, Mark (18 March 2014).
173:40 feet (folded over in pairs)
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513:Weird Island (simplecast.com)
376:Forliti, Amy (May 27, 2001).
282:Providence by Geoffrey Wolff
78:submitted the winning name.
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617:Mascots introduced in 1980
587:Landmarks in Rhode Island
56:Providence, Rhode Island
563:41.807083°N 71.405556°W
526:Farzan, Antonia Noori.
129:Reticulitermes flavipes
532:The Providence Journal
501:description of Nibbles
493:Report on the Blue Bug
483:Big Blue Bug Solutions
241:The Oprah Winfrey Show
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18:Big Blue Bug Solutions
627:Sculptures of insects
568:41.807083; -71.405556
205:30 feet above ground
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123:Subterranean Termite
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491:RoadsideAmerica.com
474:Rhode Island portal
405:. Associated Press.
383:. Associated Press.
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506:2006-01-06 at the
422:The New York Times
344:Providence Journal
228:Dumb and Dumber To
212:In popular culture
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34:The statue in 2008
381:South Coast Today
262:Breaking Cat News
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554:71°24′20.0″W
551:41°48′25.5″N
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535:. Retrieved
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233:Television:
169:Four Wings
581:Categories
537:2024-05-31
499:Quahog.org
403:Boston.com
325:References
247:Family Guy
113:Statistics
72:Olneyville
485:home page
178:Antennae
153:Diameter
622:Termites
504:Archived
354:23 March
302:Podcasts
189:11 feet
164:32 feet
148:58 feet
119:Species
96:red nose
76:Tiverton
272:Bosquet
202:Stands
194:Weight
181:7 feet
156:6 feet
145:Length
140:9 feet
137:Height
62:History
48:termite
447:12 May
317:Other:
220:Films:
277:Books
186:Legs
449:2020
356:2014
52:I-95
38:The
265:by
54:in
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389:^
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126:(
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
