Twenty-Two Feet Tall: The Strange Journey of L.A.'s Giant Chicken Statue

Hailing from the International Fiberglass Company of Venice, this giant chicken, now famously known as Chicken Boy, first graced the streets of Downtown Los Angeles in the 1960s. The statue, with its distinctive chicken head instead of a man's head and a bucket in one hand, was customized for the Chicken Boy Fried Chicken Restaurant. A local artist was behind the transformation, replacing the man's head with a chicken head and re-working the arms to hold a bucket.

The statue remained on location until 1984, when the restaurant owner passed away. It was then given to artist Amy Inouye, who stored it until 2007, when she moved the Chicken Boy statue to its current location. Thanks to community efforts and donations, the statue was preserved and has since become a symbol of Los Angeles' vibrant history and eclectic culture. Over the years, the statue has garnered numerous accolades, including the Governor’s Historic Preservation Award in 2010, the Community Beautification Grant from the City of Los Angeles in 2005-2006, the California Preservation Foundation’s Three Minute Success Story in 2009, the Highland Park Heritage Trust Preservation Award in 2009-2010, a Commendation from the City of Los Angeles in 2009, and a Commendation from the California State Assembly in Sacramento, California in 2010. You can visit the statue at [www.chickenboy.com](http://www.chickenboy.com).

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons