Vegas Vic facts for kids
Vegas Vic is a famous neon sign shaped like a cowboy. It was put up on the outside of The Pioneer Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA in 1951. This sign was special because it looked like a friendly cowboy instead of just words. It quickly became a popular symbol for welcoming people to Las Vegas.
Even today, you can find the sign at 25 E Fremont Street. It's still on the building that used to be The Pioneer Club, which is now a souvenir shop. The company that owns Vegas Vic also owns a similar sign called River Rick in Laughlin, Nevada.
How Vegas Vic Started
The Pioneer Club casino isn't open anymore, but its famous 40-foot (about 12-meter) neon cowboy mascot is still there! Back in 1947, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce wanted to bring more visitors to the city. They hired a company called West-Marquis to create a friendly cowboy image with the greeting "Howdy Podner."
People loved this cowboy! So, the owners of the Pioneer Club asked the Young Electric Sign Company to build a giant neon version. A designer named Pat Denner created the sign based on the Chamber of Commerce's cowboy.
The neon sign was finished in 1951. It had a waving arm and used to say "HOWDY PODNER!!!!!" every 15 minutes. Vegas Vic was placed on the Pioneer Club building at the corner of First Street and Fremont Street. It replaced an older sign that just showed a covered wagon.
Changes Over the Years
In 1966, a movie star named Lee Marvin was staying at a nearby hotel. He complained that Vegas Vic was too loud! So, the casino turned off Vic's voice, and it stayed quiet for almost 20 years. The voice was turned back on in the 1980s, but it stopped working again by 2006. His arm also stopped waving in 1991.
In 1994, when the Fremont Street Experience was being built, parts of Vegas Vic's hat had to be trimmed. This was done so he would fit under the new canopy. After the Pioneer Club closed in 1995, Vegas Vic started to look a bit worn out.
The Neon Museum offered to fix and take care of the sign. They said they would do this if the building owner paid for the electricity. The owner would still own the sign. However, the building owner decided to fix the sign themselves.
The red circle on Vic's pocket is meant to look like a tag from a bag of Durham Tobacco. This shows a time when cowboys would roll their own cigarettes from a bag of tobacco.
Other Neon Cowboys
Vegas Vic was the first of three big neon cowboys in Nevada.
- Wendover Will was put up in 1952 in Wendover.
- River Rick was put up in 1981 in Laughlin. River Rick looks almost exactly like Vegas Vic, but he has different colors.
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Vegas Vic (from 1951), Las Vegas
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Wendover Will (from 1952), Wendover
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River Rick (from 1981), Laughlin
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In 1980, another neon sign appeared across Fremont Street. This one showed a cowgirl and was called Vegas Vickie. In 1994, Vic and Vickie were "married" in a special ceremony during the Fremont Street Experience construction.
Vickie was taken down in 2017 when her building was being torn down. But she has been fixed up and is now inside the Circa Resort & Casino, which opened in 2020 in the same spot.
Vegas Vic has also had different paint jobs over the years.
- In the 1950s and 60s, his shirt was white with yellow checkered stripes.
- In the 1970s, it was painted solid yellow.
- When he was fixed up in 1998, his shirt became a red and yellow checkered pattern.
Images for kids
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The Pioneer Club in the 1950s (Vic had a yellow and white plaid shirt)
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The Pioneer Club in the 1980s (Vic had a solid yellow shirt), with Vegas Vickie in the background
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Vegas Vic after his 1998 restoration (red and yellow checkered shirt)
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Vegas Vic, the neon cowboy of Fremont Street
