KFC’s ‘The Colonel’ and eight other food figures we love

When a KFC bucket standing 7-feet tall showed up in a front yard in Georgia recently, many wondered -- only half jokingly -- “How can I get one of those?”

It turns out the bucket bearing Col. Sanders’ goateed visage was actually an old KFC sign picked up by a collector who plans to use it as a sign post.

Admittedly, even the most ardent KFC lovers among us might draw the line at using a giant KFC bucket as a lawn ornament. But it underscores the fact that there are just some iconic food figures that have transcended the particular product they are selling and have come to represent a little piece of American pop culture.

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Take a spin through our photo gallery of some of our favorite iconic food figures. Did we miss one of yours? If so, let us know in the comments section below. We’ll add it to our photo gallery (assuming we can find a photo that we can use without getting sued.)

Col. Sanders is on our list both because of the yummy chicken -- do not even pretend that you don’t like it -- and because of his remarkable life achievements:

Harland Sanders was already cooking and taking care of his younger siblings by age 6 after his father died and his mother had to find work outside the home, according to his KFC biography.

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He had a string of professions to his name over the years, including serving up fried chicken at a roadside service station. But he didn’t launch his franchise business until he was 65.

Within 10 years, he had 600 chicken outlets selling deep fried chicken coated with his super-secret blend of herbs and spices. Sanders earned the “Colonel” ranking from the then-governor of Kentucky, in recognition of Sanders’ contributions to the states culinary heritage.

With his white suit, distinctive black tie, glasses and goatee, Col. Sanders is proof that it’s never too late to do what you love.

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