Sadly, a beloved icon of Picayune has gone missing — and what is Mickle’s without the pickle?

Mickey Fluitt, owner of Mickle’s Pickles in downtown Picayune, said the family’s plastic pickle that adorned the wooden and wire sign hanging from the pitched roof of the business went missing sometime between Friday and Saturday. He said he noticed it missing on Saturday evening when he arrived at the building with a friend.

The pickle-theft perpetrators would have to have done quite a bit a work to get the beloved mascot down from the sign, so he believes that it happened overnight on Friday.

“I took it down for (Gustav) and I had to move the awning and use a ladder to get it down.”

While Fluitt continues to keep his sense of humor about the situation, he said he wants everyone to keep in mind that a serious crime has been committed and the pickle is invaluable to him and his family.

Pamela Fluitt, his wife, wrote in an email, “The pickle was given to my husband several years ago by a friend — the owner of Lucky Dogs (the New Orleans hot dog company). Before that, it had been part of the original Tulane Stadium’s concession stand.”

Fluitt said that originally the green, plastic pickle was used as a promotional gimmick for Heinz ketchup. The pickle was given a second chance for one last hoorah when it was rescued from Tulane’s stadium before demolition.

Fluitt said pickle paraphernalia has been stolen from him before. The magnetic signs on the pickle ’porter van had gone missing a while back, but both were eventually returned. He says that hopefully someone will see his pickle and return it.

The pickle parlor is located behind the parking lot of First National Bank on West Canal Street and the surveillance camera that watches the bank’s parking lot also picks up the activity at the pickle store. The bank has agreed to view the footage and see if camera picked up on the pickle perps.

Mickle’s pickle, not to be mistaken, is made of green plastic, is three feet in length, weighs approximately 10 to 15 pounds and is very clean.

“I just washed it off,” said Fluitt. “I never had a chance to put AmorAll on it.”

There will be a reward for the pickle’s “safe return” only. No questions will be asked. For more information, call 601-798-0705.