Big Tex

Big Tex is a 55-foot-tall (17-meter) figure statue that serves as the central marketing symbol and cultural landmark of the annual State Fair of Texas in Dallas, Texas. Since its debut in 1952, the giant has acted as the fair's ambassador and traditionally serves as a meeting spot for visitors on the grounds of Fair Park. The figure is a fixture of local identity and regularly shows up in advertising campaigns as well as in films and TV series. During the pandemic in 2020, Big Tex wore a mask because the fair had been put on hold due to the COVID crisis.

The statue's story actually begins in the small town of Kerens, where a 15-meter-tall Santa Claus made of iron pipes, papier-mâché, and ropes was erected in 1949 to boost retail business. After two seasons, the town sold the components to the State Fair, which commissioned the artist Jack Bridges to turn them into a cowboy. Originally made of papier-mâché, the material was replaced with fiberglass-reinforced plastic in the 1950s. Over the decades, Big Tex received new outfits, mechanical upgrades such as a movable hand and a rotating neck, and a voice of his own, which was provided by a series of different speakers over the years.

On October 19, 2012, his 60th birthday, the original statue was completely destroyed by an electrical fire in the sole of his right boot. The ashes and the clothing burned in just a few minutes before the eyes of onlookers. Big Tex was then rebuilt for $500,000. The figure, reinstalled in 2013, stands slightly taller at 55 feet (about 16.8 meters) and now weighs 25,000 pounds, which makes it more resistant to strong winds. Today, visitors encounter a sturdier version of the iconic cowboy, who still welcomes fairgoers with his greeting "Howdy, folks" and regularly makes announcements.