Busting the Code

BarBe Q, a locally famous mannequin who created a sign-code controversy last year, celebrated her first anniversary recently. During her short tenure, she’s endured falls and death threats.
Kenny Tessel, owner of K-T’s Barbecue in Reading, OH, had placed the buxom mannequin in front of his restaurant to attract business on one of the city’s busiest streets, but he also riled some residents and garnered national attention.
What began as a unique marketing tool morphed into a protracted discussion if the city should regulate it as a sign or if the mannequin is a decorative sculpture, much like a pink flamingo. The mannequin also carries a sign that switches out messages.
Tessel paid for two permits to keep the 5-ft. 8-in. BarBe in view. The Design Review Committee requested that BarBe ditch the Daisy-Duke outfit. Subsequently, her wardrobe has varied from shorts/bikini top to a diapered Baby New Year. Photos of her dressed as a leprechaun, an elf and a Beatle line the restaurant’s counter, according to an article by Cliff Radel in The Cincinnati Enquirer’s March 23 issue.
Christopher P. Finney, Tessel’s attorney, said he considered the mannequin a sign and a First Amendment issue. “The mannequin, whether carrying text or not is a communicative message advertising the business and carrying a decidedly political message,” as reported in Signs of the Times’ August 2009 issue (page 8).