Which child inspired the Big Boy name and mascot?

Richard Woodruff inspired the Big Boy name and mascot. In the 1920s, six-year-old Woodruff entered Bob Wian’s Glendale, California, diner while Wian was trying to name a new hamburger. Wian greeted him by calling him “Big Boy,” and the nickname became the restaurant’s identity.

Woodruff also became the model for the familiar mascot: a cheerful, chubby boy with a pompadour, red-and-white checked overalls, and a Big Boy sandwich. The character helped make the brand recognizable far beyond its original diner.

Ben Washam, a Warner Bros. animation artist, drew the early caricature of Woodruff. That detail creates a frequent mix-up: Washam designed the drawing, but Richard Woodruff was the child who inspired both the name and the mascot’s appearance.

Later, in 1955, Manfred Bernhard commissioned a redesigned public image and helped standardize the mascot’s visual presentation, including fiberglass statues and promotional materials. Bernhard and Washam were contributors to the character’s development, not the child behind its origin.