How a big baby billboard became an Arizona landmark
GOODYEAR, Ariz. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - There are a lot of unique things in Arizona, but nothing quite like what sits beside the 303, and though you've likely seen it, you may not know the story behind it.
Along the 303 sits something big. So big, a 20-foot picture of a giant baby is hard to miss.
Kathleen Duncan, who is seen in the mural holding a frying pan, is the co-owner of Duncan Family Farms, which is deeply rooted in the West Valley.
"I married a fourth generation Arizona family farmer...We went out on our own in 1988, and just started with a small farm growing fruits and veggies and it grew from there," Duncan shared.
She came up with the idea of the sign after opening the farm to the public 30 years ago.
"The idea was to have maybe a few field trips to come out, invite some of the teachers I knew to bring their kids to see where their food came from because we were realizing people were becoming distanced from where their foods come from," Duncan expressed.
Since then, the program grew.
"We had 30,000 students each season coming out, we had about 800 kids a day coming busload after busload," Duncan explained.
So, the Duncans found a unique way to greet visitors near I-10 and Cotton Lane.
"We weren't allowed to put any billboards saying Duncan Family Farms this way, there were restrictions on advertising or billboards...So, we were in Salinas and saw some amazing huge murals out in the fields and on corners and we thought, 'Who did these?' Duncan remarked.
They found the artist.
"He said, 'What if we did this 'Honey! I Blew Up the Kid' kind of thing and do a mural of a baby that's blown up and there's regular sized adults around to keep this baby from doing anything crazy,'" Duncan detailed.
They also found the baby.
"I used it as a fun fact in class. You know, when people get to know you, 'I'm the big baby,'" said Jaymee Lawton, who is the billboard model.
Not a baby anymore, Lawton, 27, was 18-months-old when a picture of her playing with a tractor grew into the lifesize mural.
She's always loved its quirkiness, but says it captures something special: Her late grandather was a farmer as well.
"They'd call him Paw Paw Bob and that makes it more special to signify because that's my own PawPaw, our own special connection because he was so special," Lawton said.
In the early 2000s, the baby went away.
"Because of the 303 interchange going in it had to be taken down," Duncan explained.
However, the billboard found a new home five years ago off the 303 near Bethany Home Road, where it sits today, and can once again be enjoyed by all, like Lawton's growing family.
"So the big baby had a baby. I have two babies. We still have the tractor and I save it until they get about eight months...and we go and take their pictures and it's a fun little time. It's special to be able to share that with my kids. Who else is on a billboard?" Lawton expressed.
For Lawton, the big baby is a sign is a sign of her past, but for the Duncans, it's also one with a message of hope.
"I hope we value what farmers do, and that we want to keep some of this ground as farm and not have it all developed because it's part of the community too, and we've always valued being part of our community, and the baby is a symbol of that more than anything," Duncan declared.
With no plans on moving it, there is hope that message will grow into the hearts of everyone who passes by it.
