Papa Burger is now installed in his new home on the Museum's fourth floor.
The 9-foot-tall Papa Burger statue entered the State Museum’s collection in 1998 as an “unknown fiberglass figure of a man holding a mug and a hamburger” from the Syracuse or Rochester area. Research soon revealed that he is “Papa Burger,” an iconic mascot figure for the A&W root beer chain of restaurants dating back to the 1960s.
Over the past few years, Museum staff restored Papa Burger to his original colors and details. The restoration project included removing layers of paint to reach the statue’s original coat and researching paints to match Papa Burger’s original colors.
In addition to Papa Burger, an original Hoffman's Playland ticket booth and models of two attractions from Coney Island are on display.
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