COOPERSBURG, Pa. \u2014 Whether customers stop at The Inside Scoop for a cone or simply drive past the parking lot, many in the Lehigh Valley recognize the same towering figure: A giant fiberglass man in bright red pants holding an ice cream scooper.<\/p>\n
His name is Chip, and for many residents, the oversized roadside figure has become more than a quirky attraction outside the popular ice cream stand.<\/p>\n
It has become a local landmark steeped in nostalgia.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a staple at this point,\u201d one customer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like when you drive down the street, it\u2019s the thing that you take notice to the most,\u201d another added.<\/p>\n
According to owner Penny Caciolo, Chip\u2019s story began with her husband\u2019s determination to find a \u201cMuffler Man,\u201d the tall molded fiberglass statues commonly built in the 1960s and often displayed outside roadside businesses across the country.<\/p>\n
After an extensive search, the family finally found their future icon in an unlikely place: A junkyard in Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cChip was originally found in a Canadian junkyard in all different pieces,\u201d Caciolo said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo then all those pieces were taken and actually sent to a gentleman by the name of Mark Klein, who basically cobbled him all back together and created a mold,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2018, Chip officially made his debut at The Inside Scoop, towering over the business and quickly becoming part of its retro, 1950s inspired atmosphere.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really for something iconic that fits our vibe and our \u201950s look, just something unusual,\u201d Caciolo said. \u201cAnd it certainly has been unusual.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the years, customers embraced the giant figure, snapping photos and using him as a familiar roadside marker. But earlier this year, disaster struck when a February storm caused Chip to split in half at the waist.<\/p>\n