1 week Ago By Molly DeVore
NORWOOD PARK — Maurie and Flaurie — the 300-pound hot dog statues that have dutifully watched over Milwaukee Avenue for seven decades — are back. Superdawg owner Scott Berman watched carefully as the 11-1/2-foot-tall Flaurie figurine was lowered onto the iconic hot dog stand’s roof Wednesday morning. After spending 10 weeks at a “SuperSpa,” Berman said it was good to see Flaurie and her better half back atop the drive-in restaurant at 6363 N.
Milwaukee Ave. “It’s wonderful. It’s like life has returned to what it’s supposed to be,” he said.
Scott Berman owns the Norwood Park hot dog joint with his sister Lisa Drucker and her husband, Don Drucker. The statues are named after Berman and Drucker’s parents, Maurie and Flaurie Berman, the original Superdawg owners. The statues were created in 1948, when Superdawg first opened.
The Maurie figurine stands with his arms flexed clad in an animal print toga, while Flaurie stares up at him adoringly, wearing a sky-blue skirt and bow. Scott Berman said his dad wanted to portray “a heroic man and his loving mate.” Maurie and Flaurie were taken off the roof for refurbishment in the 1970s and again in the 1990s.
This fall, they spent 10 weeks being restored at Orlandi Statuary , a family-owned business based in Logan Square. The Orlandis carefully studied old photos of the statues to match previous colors and details, said Fabio Orlandi, who owns the business with his two brothers. “We wanted them to look exactly like they’ve looked for 76 years,” he said.
Superdawg started out as a way to put Maurie and Flaurie Berman — the human versions — through school. The couple, both from Albany Park, met and fell in love as freshmen at Von Steuben High School, Scott Berman said. After Maurie Berman returned from World War II, the couple rented a plot of land in Norwood Park and built Superdawg.
They planned to work at the restaurant in the summer to help pay for their tuition at Northwestern University, where Maurie Berman studied accounting and Flaurie Berman studied teaching. The shop closed every winter and the hot dog statues went into storage, Scott Berman said. By the time the Bermans graduated in the early 1950s, the couple decided running Superdawg was “more fun,” so they dedicated themselves to the business full-time, Scott Berman said.
“They loved this not only as what they did for work every day, but also as a hobby and a passion,” he said. When Superdawg opened, the only other business nearby was a dairy and egg store, Scott Berman said. There were very few houses in the area, and customers would park in the prairie surrounding the store, he said.
Berman said his parents wanted Superdawg to be the last stop before the long ride out of the city. The Maurie and Flaurie statues, with their glowing eyes, were the “bright light at the end of Milwaukee [Avenue],” he said. As the neighborhood grew, a small dining room was tacked onto Superdawg and chicken sandwiches were added to the menu — but for the most part, the business has stayed the same for 76 years, Scott Berman said.
Superdawg still offers carhop service, and it still doesn’t serve hot dogs, but Superdawgs. “Superdawgs are bigger than most hot dogs,” Scott Berman said. “They’re made with choice-cut beef and with a unique blend of spices.
” Today, the business attracts a mix of regulars, commuters headed out of the city, cyclists on the North Branch Trail and tourists coming from O’Hare, he said. Superdawg even ended up in a travel book titled “1,000 Places To See Before You Die,” Scott Berman said. “It’s the Eiffel tower, the British Museum, the Louvre and Superdawg,” he said with a smile.
The original hot dog statues were made with papier-mâché layered around a chicken-wire frame. Once Superdawg switched to year-round operations, fiberglass was added to the statues, Berman said. “When we opened [the statues] up and saw all the old newspapers inside, it was like, this is like the Titanic.
This is history,” Orlandi said. The old bulbs that lit up Maurie and Flaurie’s eyes were incandescent and had to be replaced monthly. Now, the statues are outfitted with brighter LED lights, Scott Berman said.
About 14 years ago, Superdawg opened a second location in suburban Wheeling. An even taller Maurie and Flaurie stand atop the second Superdawg, and they’re filled with foam instead of papier-mâché, Berman said. Lisa Drucker said she knew as soon as the statues were taken down, customers would have questions.
That’s why Superdawg was quick to put up a sign assuring people that Maurie and Flaurie would be back. From being featured in the Emmy-winning FX series “The Bear” to playing an instrumental role in the creation of the hot dog emoji, Superdawg and its famous statues are an integral part of Chicago. “They [Maurie and Flaurie] are iconic not only to Superdawg, but to the neighborhood,” Drucker said.
Maurie Berman died in 2015 and Flaurie Berman died in 2018, but the couple’s legacy lives on. Scott Berman said he hopes the family-owned business, and its beloved statues, will continue for another 76 years. Support Local News! All tax-deductible donations made to Block Club today will be doubled as part of the annual NewsMatch program to support independent, nonprofit newsrooms.
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