A Bit of Vegas Vic History
The real Vegas Vic has been a Las Vegas icon since 1951, when the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce commissioned the character to help put the city on the map. Fabricated by the Young Electric Sign Company and installed outside the Pioneer Club on Fremont Street, the original stands roughly 40 feet tall, a winking, waving cowboy with a moving cigarette and a recorded "Howdy Pardner!" greeting that played for passersby every 15 minutes. For decades, Vegas Vic was one of the most recognizable images of Las Vegas itself, later joined across the street by his neon companion, Vegas Vickie, in 1980. The two were even "married" in 1994 to celebrate the opening of the Fremont Street Experience. The original sign still stands on Fremont Street today, a beloved piece of Las Vegas history.
Restoring the Replica
Kimmel's replica, built at a smaller but still massive scale for the Vegas broadcast, needed real restoration work to shine the way it once did for the show. Neon Flamingo brought the sign fully back to life, getting every section of neon lit perfectly before installation.
An Unexpected Windfall
When Kimmel decided to part with the rest of his giant Las Vegas replicas, including recreations of the Golden Nugget and Caesars Palace marquees, we took them on and later built them into a custom poker room in Eagle Rock. One restoration job turned into a whole separate project because a client cleared out his office.
Installation Day
Hanging a 20-foot sign in an office is no small task, and the crew Kimmel brought in left an impression. Professional TV production crews move with a speed and precision that comes from years of building and striking sets on deadline. Vegas Vic went up clean and has been lit ever since.
The Kimmelot Sign
Some time after the Vegas Vic restoration, Neon Flamingo was brought back to build a second piece: a custom metal-and-neon sign for Kimmel's personal Kimmelot brand, installed to sit directly across from the restored Vegas Vic, two signs facing off in the same space, one a piece of Las Vegas history reborn, the other built fresh for Kimmel's own name.
Why This Project Matters
Restoration on a large-format vintage-style sign, a complex install run alongside a production crew, and a second custom build that came out of the relationship. That is the range this job asked for.
Client: Jimmy Kimmel
Scope: Restoration of a 20-foot Vegas Vic replica sign; fabrication of a custom Kimmelot sign
Related: Additional replica signage (Golden Nugget, Caesars Palace) rehomed into a custom poker room, Eagle Rock
Please note: The Eagle Rock Los Angeles Neon Poker room is available to be rented for private events. If you are seeking a unique and special location to host a game night please reach out to us for a quote.
Vegas Vic was recreated tube by tube through our custom glass neon fabrication process, matching the original bends and colours.
