The Rubber Chicken Legacy

By Jim Rose, son of Loftus founder Gene Rose

When you think of Salt Lake City, you might picture the soaring spires of the LDS Church headquarters. But here at Loftus International, founded by my father, Gene Rose, we’ve been bringing smiles — and a bit of silliness — around the globe since the early 1980s. And at the heart of it all? Our world-famous rubber chicken.

I still remember my Volkswagen Beetle in the early ’80s — and, of course, the rubber chicken that came with me. I tied a cigarette in its beak with string, and as I squeezed it, it looked like it was smoking. My friends and I would drive down the street, and all you’d see was this chicken’s head puffing smoke — it was a guaranteed double-take every time.

But the rubber chicken wasn’t just for laughs. One night, I went to see Bette Midler in concert. Inspired, I cut a hole in a rubber chicken, filled it with wildflowers, and carried it to the stage. At first, Bette didn’t know what to make of it, but then she clutched it to her chest and sang “The Rose.” It was a moment I’ll never forget.

A few years later, I got a call from the O Network. They were reviving “What’s My Line?” They flew me out to Los Angeles, and the panel had to guess my secret: I was the world’s largest supplier of rubber chickens. I completely stumped them — one guess was even “a Mormon flying cricket!”

Then, of course, there was the BBC when they came to Salt Lake City. They showcased the LDS Church headquarters, but we knew the real star was our rubber chicken. Salt Lake City: home of the world’s quirkiest capital, and yes, the rubber chicken capital of the world.

So next time you see a rubber chicken, remember — this goofy icon has carried a legacy as big as a Beetle, as wild as a concert, and as surprising as a flying cricket!