Vegas Vic
Vegas Vic
In 1947, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce sought to attract more visitors and commissioned an advertising firm to design a friendly cowboy mascot. The result was the first version of Vegas Vic, paired with the now-famous greeting “Howdy Podner.” The design quickly gained popularity, leading the owners of the Pioneer Club casino to hire the Young Electric Sign Company to create a massive neon version.
Artist Pat Denner modeled the 40-foot sign after the mascot, complete with a waving arm, a moving cigarette, and a recorded voice by Chamber president Maxwell Kelch. The sign was installed in 1951, replacing the Pioneer Club’s earlier wagon-themed signage.
Vegas Vic became an instant icon of Fremont Street, but his talking feature was silenced in 1966 after actor Lee Marvin complained during a hotel stay. Although the voice returned briefly in the 1980s, the greeting has long since stopped, and his waving arm ceased functioning in 1991. In 1980, another neon figure appeared nearby: Vegas Vickie, a cowgirl sign installed above the Girls of Glitter Gulch strip club. She and Vic were humorously “married” in 1994 during the construction of the Fremont Street Experience.
"Vegas Vicky" by www78 licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
During that project, modifications were made to Vic, including trimming his hat brim to fit under the canopy. After the Pioneer Club closed in 1995, the sign fell into neglect, but eventually, the building’s owner restored it in 1998, repainting Vic’s shirt in a red-and-yellow checkered pattern. Over the years, Vic gained two “siblings”: Wendover Will in 1952 and River Rick in 1981, the latter an almost identical copy located in Laughlin.
Meanwhile, Vegas Vickie was removed in 2017 but later restored and relocated inside the Circa Resort & Casino when it opened in 2020.
"Viva Las Vegas — Vickie Vegas at the Circa" by Thomas Hawk licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
By April 2023, inspectors cited the current owner for the sign’s deteriorating condition. A full refurbishment followed, and by July of that year, Vegas Vic was once again lit up and welcoming visitors on Fremont Street. Today, although the Pioneer Club has long since ceased operating as a casino, Vic remains one of the most enduring neon icons of Las Vegas, continuing his role as the city’s unofficial cowboy greeter.
"Vegas Vic" by TimothyJ licensed under CC BY 2.0.
If this shirt wasn't $130 dollars, I'd buy it.