Vegas Vic

Vegas Vic is the unofficial, yet most widely used name for the Las Vegas, Nevada neon sign that resembles a cowboy. The sign was a departure in graphic design from typeface based neon signs, to a friendly and welcoming human form of a cowboy. His human-like abilities of talking and waving his arm constituted an immediate acceptance as theunofficial welcoming sign reproduced thousands of times over the years and all over the world.

It was constructed in 1951 and stood over the Pioneer Club on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, replacing a neon sign which simply read "Pioneer Club" accompanied by a cowboy hat.

The Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) built a 75-foot tall [cite web | title = Chronology 1895 - 2004 : A History of Young Electric Sign Company | work = Young Electric Sign Company | url = http://www.yesco.com/about.php | accessdate = 2006-10-03 ] neon version of a sign used by the Chamber of Commerce in 1947, designed by Salt Lake City graphic artist Pat Denner and consisting of a cowboy in blue jeans with a yellow-checked shirt and red bandanna. It was complete with a waving arm, a moving cigarette, and a recording of "howdy pardner!" every 15 minutes [cite news | title = Mr. Vegas | date = March 2006 | url = http://www.viamagazine.com/top_stories/articles/mrvegas06.asp | publisher = Via magazine | accessdate = 2006-10-04 ] , by the then president of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, [http://www.1st100.com/part2/kelch.html Maxwell Kelch] .

The recording was turned off in 1966, when Lee Marvin, a guest at The Mint Hotel & Casino, complained that he was too loud. [cite news | url = http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/archives/2000/jun/25/510427973.html | title = Vegas Vic Lives! | date = 2000-06-25 | first = John | last = Katsilometes | publisher = Las Vegas Sun | accessdate = 2006-10-04 ] It was replaced in the 1980s, but as of 2006 no longer works. The arm stopped waving in 1991. When the Fremont Street Experience was under construction in 1994, part of his hat was cut off in construction to make room for the roof.

While the construction of the Fremont Street Experience was going on, Vegas Vic and Sassy Sally were lowered to the ground and in Las Vegas tradition they were married by a local minister. Sassy Sally crowns Glitter Gulch. Nowadays, she is better know as Vegas Vicky.

The sign is owned by Schiff Enterprises.

Vegas Vic, Wendover Will, (his neon sign brother located in West Wendover, Nevada), Pat Denner, YESCO, Ad Art Sign Company, Las Vegas casino owners, historians and authors are the subject of a 2007 documentary reflecting about Americana Iconography, Graphic Design, Outdoor Advertising and it's influence in the popular culture entitled, Howdy Pardner! The Tale of Two Mechanical Cowboys. [http://www.howdypordner.blogspot.com]

References

* [http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2000/Jan-16-Sun-2000/news/12757407.htm "Faded Glory"] by Mike Zapler, "The Las Vegas Review-Journal", January 16, 2000, retrieved June 30, 2006