New England Pest Control161 O'Connell St.Providence
Specifically a big blue termite, this 58-foot-long, two-ton insect has been perched on top of New England Pest Control's Providence office since 1980.
Besides being hurricane-proof and worth over $20,000, he has the honor of being the world's largest man-made insect, at 928 times the size of a real subterranean swarming termite. He was originally painted purple - the color of a real termite when observed under a microscope - but he has since faded to blue and become so well known in that condition, he was never repainted. His name, which was bestowed through a 1990 radio contest, is, fittingly, Nibbles Woodaway.
Nibbles is arguably Rhode Island's top landmark. Besides all of the bizarre facts named above, he is a good-natured creature of the people: He dresses up for the 4th of July and Halloween and dons a blinking red nose and reindeer antlers or festive lights for Christmas. And the people really respond to Nibbles. Pawtucket resident Deb Bettencourt loves Nibbles so much she got a three-inch replica of the bug tattooed on her left shin. One couple wanted to get married next to Nibbles (unfortunately, insurance issues wouldn't allow a rooftop wedding). Another couple got engaged on the highway beneath Nibbles, the big question proclaimed on a banner hung between his front legs. The big blue bug's credits include appearances on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," the movie "Dumb & Dumber" and a "Zippy the Pinhead" comic strip.
Even I, a native New Yorker, have grown to love Nibbles. The only way I can actually tell I've entered Providence city limits is when I see Nibbles stoically watching over I-95. Personally, I think it's fitting that Nibbles is Providence's equivalent of the Statue of Liberty. Who needs some big green lady when you've got a big blue bug?
