x
Breaking News
More () »

Pine Bluff residents want to give Sunbeam Girl a facelift

"She's got a little slower in her old age. She's older now. Maybe she do need a little touch up."

PINE BLUFF, Ark. (KTHV) - A billboard featuring Little Miss Sunbeam affixed to her swing has been a landmark for decades in Pine Bluff. Now, a growing number of residents are hoping to see the aging "Miss Sunbeam" restored to her glory.

"No one talks about Pine Bluff without mentioning the Sunbeam girl," said John Mitchell, interim director of the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Historical Museum. "She's got a little slower in her old age. She's older now. Maybe she do need a little touch-up."

According to Mitchell, the billboard originally promoted a Sunbeam bakery in Pine Bluff. In the years after that bakery left, Little Miss Sunbeam has remained a fixture at the end of Main Street.

"She looks sad, so it makes us sad," Isaac "Smooth" Barron said.

Barron is an entertainer from Pine Bluff who turned to Facebook last week in hopes of finding help for Little Miss Sunbeam.

"I'm making this video because one of our most prized possessions in Pine Bluff has gone down by the wayside," he said in the video posted on April 11.

As of April 18, his post was shared more than 1,500 times and the video attracted the eyes of more than 40,000 viewers.

"The response has been outstanding," Barron said. "Hopefully we can get her spruced up a little bit, get a new motor in her so she can swing happily; get some fresh paint on her so she can look bright and beautiful as she always has."

It's a much-needed makeover, he said, for more than just a billboard.

"The upkeep of staples of our community also helps the morale of the people and the morale of our teenagers," Barron said.

THV11 reached out to Flowers Foods, a baking company that franchises the right to bake Sunbeam Bread. A spokesperson said the company will "take a look and see what it would take to refresh this billboard."

Pine Bluff Ward 4 Alderman Bruce Lockett said he is committed to making sure Miss Sunbeam keeps swinging for years to come

Before You Leave, Check This Out