Iggy the Iguana has seen rain, ice, snow, and 100-degree heat, but hasn’t had a fresh makeover in nearly 15 years — until now.
For over a decade, Iggy the Iguana has been the face of the Fort Worth Zoo with his 40-ft presence atop the Burnett Animal Health Science Center. On January 7, Iggy was airlifted away for a well-deserved refurbishment. He returned to the zoo last week.
The Lone Star iguana
Iggy’s story began far from Cowtown. Created by the late artist Bob “Daddy-O” Wade — whose work has been featured by The New York Times and Texas Monthly — the 2,600-lb iguana first made a name for himself in New York City.
From 1978 to 1989, he watched over the Lone Star Café, a hot spot for musicians like Willie Nelson and Kinky Friedman. When the cafe closed, a Virginian couple bought him for their farm. In 1997, Iggy was brought back to the Big Apple and briefly sat upon Pier 25 in Tribeca.
Just two years later, Fort Worthian Lee Bass saw an opportunity to bring the unique sculpture to Fort Worth and purchased the lizard.
A reputable reptile
When the Fort Worth Zoo was developing its Museum of Living Art (MOLA) in 2007, Bass and Wade collaborated to find Iggy a permanent home. Given his striking resemblance to the reptiles inside the MOLA + the fact that Bass is husband to the zoo’s board of directors chairman, Ramona Bass, Iggy became the perfect mascot of the zoo’s educational landscape.
Over the years, he’s become more than just a sculpture — he’s our best reptilian friend, best known for donning a variety of festive hats to commemorate holidays and events like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.
Love for the lizard
Iggy fans can adopt their own mini plush iguana with the zoo’s limited-edition adoption package — which includes an Iggy-themed coloring kit, four assorted mini hats + a general admission ticket to the zoo.
