Some states have majestic eagles or billowing palm trees as icons. But in Rhode Island, we have something much better: a giant blue insect. Big Blue Bug has been a part of the Providence skyline for as long as we can remember, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Here’s how this enormous termite replica came to be.

Big Blue Bug is also known as Nibbles Woodaway, the giant termite mascot of Big Blue Bug Solutions, an extermination company (of course).
Tom Woodward / Flickr
Nibbles can be seen from I-95 in Providence.
Big Blue Bug was made from steel and covered with fiberglass, a product of Avenia Sign Company of North Providence.
sandwich / Flickr
The bug was built in 1980 for the cost of $20,000, although we happen to think it is priceless.

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Nibbles is an exact replica of an Eastern Subterranean Termite, pictured here.
Dann Thombs / Flickr
At 58 feet long and 9 feet tall with a weight of 4,000 pounds, it is said to be the world's largest artificial insect.
Big Blue Bug was originally painted purple, which is the color of a live termite under a microscope.
Big Blue Bug Solutions / Facebook
But it faded to blue under the sun, and now we can't imagine it any other way. The company who owns it even changed their name from New England Pest Control to Big Blue Bug Solutions to best represent this Rhode Island icon.
Nibbles Woodaway is actually pretty famous.
Big Blue Bug Solutions / Google
The bug has made appearances in Dumb and Dumber, Dumb and Dumber To, Family Guy, The Today Show, and The Oprah Winfrey Show, just to name a few.

Some might think Providence’s unofficial “mascot” is a bit bizarre. And perhaps it is. But we love our Big Blue Bug, just like we can appreciate these other Rhode Island roadside attractions.

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Featured Addresses
Big Blue Bug Solutions, 161 O'Connell St, Providence, RI 02905, USA