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

termite Termites are a group of detritivore, detritophagous Eusociality, eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of Detritus, decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, Plant litter, leaf litter, and Humus, soil humus. They are dist ...

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 U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

. It is claimed to be the world's largest artificial bug at 928 times the size (by length) 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 US$20,000 ().

History

The Big Blue Bug was built by Avenia Sign Company of North Providence. 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 Delaine Street to have them coated in fiberglass." The Bug was fiberglassed by Robert Garafano, Sr. of Olneyville;at Uptown Auto Body on Delaine st. 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. The Bug was originally known only as the "Big Blue Bug", a name coined by Providence traffic reporter Mike Sheridan, until 1990, when it received the name "Nibbles Woodaway" in a contest. 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 memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

, 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 (before the team relocated to Worcester, MA in 2021), and Christmas (in lights, reindeer antlers, and a blinking red nose). Since 1990, the company has sold stuffed toys in the Bug's likeness. On June 20, 2002, the Bug left its home 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 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, the Big Blue Bug put on a

surgical mask A surgical mask, also known by other names such as a medical face mask or procedure mask, is a personal protective equipment used by healthcare professionals that serves as a mechanical barrier that interferes with direct airflow in and out of r ...

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 comic strip created by cartoonist Georgia Dunn and distributed to newspapers and the GoComics website through Andrews McMeel Syndication. Publication history Dunn created the strip after relocating to her native Weste ...

'' 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 Nibbles

Weird 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 Sculptures of insects Insect mascots Animal sculptures in the United States Colossal statues in the United States