Big Mac Daddy Black Tee

Printed with water-based ink on black Bella+Canvas shirts in Tucson, AZ. 100% cotton, unisex fit.

Wholesale options for this item are available at jospar.faire.com

The second installment of my "Tucson Tales" series. This time I’m highlighting the iconic 18-foot-tall, 40-foot-long t-rex statue outside the McDonald’s at Grant and Tanque Verde. Built in 1994, the statue was originally installed by the franchise owners because of the success of Jurassic Park and was made by one of the companies that helped make the dinosaurs in that movie. I couldn’t find a name for the statue anywhere so I’ve lovingly dubbed it “Big Mac Daddy”.

In 2020 a group of religious dino deniers named “Christians Against Dinosaurs” demanded the statue be taken down, and threatened to protest outside the McDonald’s if it wasn’t. The protest never ended up happening, but these are the kinds of signs I imagine would have been held up if it had.

(If you’re unfamiliar with my Tucson Tales series, it’s a project dedicated to combining my love of Tucson with my love of comic books. Each “issue cover” highlights a different landmark of local lore that is lesser known or talked about. My goal for this project is to spread awareness of the parts of Tucson that help make this city strange and special past just our majestic desert landscape.)