It looks like someone has grown from an itty bitty blob of clay to a big time pizza king.

Gumby’s Pizza will open the chain’s 25th location in Ames on Sept 15.

“We were supposed to open on the first, but we were delayed when equipment didn’t arrive on time,” Karen Merna, owner of Gumby’s Pizza, said.

Located in the Main Street Station, Gumby’s offers free delivery and flexible hours.

It’s open until 3 a.m., and may stay open later depending on demand.

Gumby’s was founded in 1985 by a group of recent college graduates.

The name came from one of the founder’s nicknames.

“He always wore green pants, so they called him Gumby,” Merna said. “I guess they thought it would also be a fun, catchy name for the restaurant.”

Merna began working for Gumby’s seven years ago as a delivery driver in Madison, Wis. She has worked her way up through the ranks of the company.

Prior to becoming owner of the new Ames location, she ran the Iowa City and Champagne, Ill., restaurant.

Gumby’s restaurants are primarily found near large college campuses.

Their delivery is fast and free, and their pizza dough is made from scratch everyday.

Because their main clientele is college students, Gumby’s offers low, competitive prices.

“We can have low prices because we cut our cost by making our own pizza dough,” Merna said.

“We also keep plenty of drivers on hand for delivery,” she said. “We offer low prices and high quality.”

Merna advises students to try the Pokey sticks.

She said they are basically cheese sticks but have a very unique taste.