Kansas City Residents Lobby for Vicki Lawrence 'Mama' Statue

Even if the efforts of Detroit film fans to erect a Robocop statue fail, their actions are inspiring residents of other cities to honor their local pop culture icons.

Case in point: Two Kansas City disc jockeys are lobbying local leaders to honor "Mama" -- the character played by Vicki Lawrence on "The Carol Burnett Show" and the syndicated spin-off "Mama's Family" -- with a statue of her own.

Their names are Slim-Fast and Lazlo, co-hosts of the "Church of Lazlo" show on KRBZ -- a modern rock station known locally as "The Buzz."

Fittingly, Slim-Fast says once he heard the buzz surrounding the proposed Robocop statue in Motown, he wanted to do something similarly reflective of his area's local culture.

So why Mama?

Well, the series was set in Raytown, a Kansas City suburb of around 28,000 people.

"It practically butts up against Kansas City," Slim-Fast said helpfully.

Again ... Why Mama?

"Well, to be honest, we don't have the luxury of lots of celebrities to choose from," Slim-Fast admitted. "[Jazz pioneer] Charlie Parker is probably the biggest. We had to dig deep, but even the people who weren't familiar with the character are all for it."

The campaign has been going for three weeks -- ever since Detroit Mayor Dave Bing's social media manager answered a Twitter query about a possible statue by saying, "There are not any plans to erect a statue to Robocop. Thank you for the suggestion."

Since then, the "Robostatue" has inspired a firestorm of online commentary, including from Kansas City area residents.

But while Mayor Bing remains skeptical about the value of a statue honoring the Robocop character, Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser is reportedly much more supportive.

"In fact, he said that he's friends with [Raytown Mayor David Bower] and would talk with him about finding a good place to put it," Slim-Fast said. "As far as we know, Bower supports it."

Funkhouser's spokesman Kendrick Blackwood says the mayor does indeed support the statue, but doesn't know if his thumbs-up will help the cause since he just lost his re-election bid.

Mike Burke and Sylvester James are the two remaining candidates, but Burke has yet to comment on this pressing issue and James only gives it tepid support.


Originally, the statue was supposed to be a $23,000 life-size rendering of Mama -- from her famed curly hair down to her house smock and support hose. However, it has now been downsized to just a bust of Lawrence's head and neck and will cost an estimated 10 grand.

This will ensure the statue won't be a bust.

"We are having problems finding a site capable of taking donations," Slim-Fast said. "We tried Kickstarter, but for some reason, they turned us down." Still, he believes the kinks will be worked out within the next week.

As might be expected, Lawrence is excited about the prospect of having her character immortalized for future generations and, if all goes as scheduled, Slim-Fast and Lazlo will interview her about the project on March 1.

"I think it's hysterical," Lawrence told AOL News. "I'd have to go there for the dedication. It is an honor that they would cast an old bat like Mama in bronze. Hopefully, they will put Mama in front of a Walmart. She'd like that."

Although the proposed Mama statue will be unique to Kansas City, there is a precedent for cities honoring famous TV characters with a connection to the area.

For instance, there is a Bob Newhart statue in Chicago, the site of his first hit show; a statue of Mary Tyler Moore in Minneapolis, where her famous sitcom was set; a statue of Andy Griffith and Ron Howard in Raleigh, N.C.; a statue of Henry Winkler dressed as "The Fonz" from "Happy Days" in Milwaukee; and the city of Salem, Mass., has a statue honoring "Bewitched" star Elizabeth Montgomery.

The statue represents the pinnacle of Lawrence's career and comes a month after she filmed a satirical video in character making fun of the meteoric rise of Ted Williams, the homeless voiceover talent who rode a wave of success earlier this year.