Rhode Islanders have a fond affection for their blue bug. To those who live in “The Ocean State,” Nibbles Woodaway has a special place in their hearts. More than just a mere gimmick for a pesticide company, and beyond his title as the World’s Largest Bug, Nibbles is a defining symbol of what Rhode Island is all about – filth, political corruption, and an insatiable appetite.

No state has seen so much shenanigans since the Southern Baptist Convention rolled through their town. Rhode Island is a place where the Mayor always seems to be under indictment*. It is where an ex-nun left the convent to become Attorney General only to later find she made a better talk show host. And every Kennedy kid (still alive) who can’t make it in Massachusetts politics comes carpetbagging. In such a climate, a giant bug seems like a statue of liberty. Especially at Christmas when the voluminous termite wears a light up nose.

Nibbles Woodaway, who measures 58-feet in length, got his name through a radio contest. He was assembled in 1980 at a cost of $20,000 and sits on the roof of New England Pest Control overlooking I95. As he peers out at a hurricane barrier erected after the city once flooded, his winged ego is stroked in the thought that he too is hurricane proof.

The cost of termite damage is twice that of storm damage.

Just how much do Rhode Islanders connect with their beloved bug? So much that it eats at their skin. In 2001 the Associated Press reported on a women who tattooed Nibbles on her shin.

"If I ever move, I just want to take a piece of Rhode Island with me," she said.

BUG NEWS MAY 2001
Providence, Rhode Island - If you don't think much of a Big Blue Bug, you're probably not a Rhode Islander. The 58-foot-long termite sits atop the New England Pest Control building in Providence and has become the state's unofficial mascot. Deb Bettencourt has loved the bug for years -- and now she takes it with her wherever she goes. Bettencourt has a smaller version of the Big Blue Bug tattooed on her left shin. Bettencourt says if she moves out of state, at least a little bit of Rhode Island will always be with her.

Convicted marinara Mayor

* Since this article was first written Providence's Mayor Vincent ''Buddy'' Cianci Jr. was found guilty of racketeering. He was acquitted of 11 other charges which included conspiracy, extortion, bribery, mail fraud and witness tampering. The negative publicity has not hurt sales of his Mayor's Own Marinara Sauce.

Update 7/02
Nibbles crawled off the roof of New England Pest Control for the first time in 22 years on June 20, 2002. He will be going on a four-leg whirlwing tour. His first stop is at the Bristol Fourth of July Parade. From there he is buzzing off to a Benny's store before stopping by Roger Williams Park Zoo. The tour concludes in Swansea, MA at Cardi's Superstore. The furniture outlet has bugged Rhode Islanders for years with an annoying radio announcer in their commercials, so the payback is fitting.

Nibbles Woodaway
I-95 South
Providence, RI
In the neighborhood - liquor chicken