The Big Blue Bug, also known as Nibbles Woodaway, is the giant

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes ( eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blat ...

mascot of Big Blue Bug Solutions located along

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

. It is claimed to be the world's largest artificial bug at 928 times the size of an actual termite, standing tall and long and weighing . It was constructed over a four-day period from wire mesh and fiberglass in late 1980 at a cost of $20,000.

History

The Big Blue Bug was built by Avenia Sign Company of

North Providence North Providence is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 34,114 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the Town of North Providence has a total area of , of which, is ...

. 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

Olneyville Olneyville is a neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island bordered by Atwells Avenue to the north, U.S. Route 6 to the south and Rhode Island Route 10 to the east. The Woonasquatucket River runs through the southern portion of the neighborhood. ...

; 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 Tiverton submitted the winning name.

Recent events

The Bug is annually "dressed" for

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Many ...

, Halloween, the season opener of the

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

baseball team, and Christmas (in lights, reindeer antlers, and a blinking

red nose "Red Nose" is a song by American rapper Sage the Gemini from his debut album '' Remember Me''. The song was released as his debut single on March 19, 2013. It was a minor hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 52 but fared better on ...

). Since 1990, the company has sold stuffed toys in the Bug's likeness. 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". The bug wore a necktie for the occasion. In April 2020, in support of the "front line workers" facing COVID-19, the Big Blue Bug has put on a surgical mask.

In popular culture

The bug has made numerous media appearances, including: Films: * Dumb and Dumber * Dumb and Dumber To Television: * The Today Show * The Oprah Winfrey Show * The Daily Show * Family Guy Comic strips: * Zippy the Pinhead * ''

Breaking Cat News ''Breaking Cat News'' is a syndicated comic strip created by cartoonist Georgia Dunn. It is syndicated through Andrews McMeel Syndication. Publication history Dunn created the strip after moving back to her native Westerly, Rhode Island after l ...

'' by Georgia Dunn has the lighting of the Big Blue Bug as a subject of several strips. * Bosquet Books * Providence by Geoffrey Wolff * Roadside America by Mike Wilkins, Ken Smith, and Doug Kirby * Weird New England by Joseph Citro. * The 2021 novel
Providence Blue
' by David Pinault features the Big Blue Bug as a set piece and plot device. Podcasts: * Sara Corben'
Weird Island
in Episode 39: Rhodeside Attractions: The Big Blue Bug Other: It was featured on a state scratch-off lottery ticket in 1997.

References

External links

''Big Blue Bug Solutions'' home page''RoadsideAmerica.com'' Report on the Blue Bug''Quahog.org'' description of NibblesWeird Island (simplecast.com)
* Forliti, Amy (May 27, 2001) Article in The Standard-Time
2-ton, blue termite, near-cult status in R.I.''
{{Coord, 41, 48, 25.5, N, 71, 24, 20.0, W, type:landmark, display=title Landmarks in Rhode Island Roadside attractions in Rhode Island Culture of Providence, Rhode Island Individual signs in the United States Interstate 95 1980 establishments in Rhode Island Mascots introduced in 1980 Termites Insects in art Animal mascots