DRIGGS, Idaho — One of Idaho’s most recognizable roadside attractions is getting a facelift.
Old Murphy, the vintage red truck hauling an enormous plaster potato, has entertained drivers on ID-33 for decades. In keeping up with 2024 beauty standards, Old Murphy will be retired. A 2025 Chevy Silverado will take its place, hauling a heap of French fries made of UV-stabilized high-density polyethylene (HDPE) coated in slip-resistant PVC coating (for the safety of those posing for photos).
New Murphy, the new truck, will welcome visitors to the Spud Drive-In when it reopens in 2025. Plans for the drive-in’s new chapter include updates to its lodging options and plans for a new onsite restaurant. The Spud changed hands in 2023, when the neighboring MD Nursery acquired it. In April of 2022, the Spud’s screen was knocked down by winds exceeding 50 mph, and the theater hasn’t been operational since. The Spud originally opened in 1953.
Old Murphy was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2003. It is unclear whether New Murphy will qualify for holding onto that distinction.
“Coming from a longtime Australian trucking family, I certainly appreciate the finer qualities of a vintage truck, but with the revamp and update of the Spud Drive-In, it is necessary to update the whole image and having an old, critter infested, dilapidated truck out the front with cracked spuds does nothing for our beautiful scenic corridor,” MD Nursery Communications Officer Bindi McIrwin told Buckrail. “Having consulted our numerous visitor surveys, we decided to promote our new revamped site with New Murphy, a brand-new truck with all the bells and whistles to enhance the concept and vision for the drive-in.”
Teton Valley residents’ reactions to Old Murphy’s retirement were a mixed bag.
“The old truck was such an eyesore,” Beatrice Beep, founder of the Teton Ladies Who Lunch Club, told Buckrail. “I personally will be very pleased to see something as new and as shiny as the engagement diamond ring I got from my third husband. Us ladies are very much looking forward to a new restaurant to try and it will be a more pleasant experience heading into the new grounds.”
The matter of the truck’s Instagram appeal was top-of-mind in its redesign.
“Our recent surveys indicate that selfies are not as popular as they once were, and we assume that it is because of the state of this old jalopy they call Old Murphy,” Bart Vanderlay, President of the National French Fry Association (which sponsored the acquisition of the new truck), told Buckrail. “We are certain this New Murphy will stimulate a whole new cult following, even greater than the Old Murphy. It is our vision (NFFA) to promote what everybody loves with their burgers, and this is a big ole order of fries!”
If this article strikes you as a load of potatoes, you’re right, it’s false! Old Murphy will indeed disappear for a short time, but only to be refurbished (with assistance from Legacy Classic Trucks), not replaced. Happy April Fools’ Day from the Spud Drive-In and Buckrail.
