Even if you've never been to the State Fair of Texas, there's a pretty good chance you're familiar with Big Tex.
Big Tex greets visitors when they hit the State Fair. He's a meetup point, a photo opportunity and a Texas legend in general.
I'm also just going to come out and say it: he's a little dopey.
Big Tex and his clothing seem permanently locked into the era of singing cowboys in old movies. You know the type: shirts with just a little too much flair, an enormous cowboy hat and an outfit that might get you called a dandy — or laughed right out of a dusty Old West saloon.
None of that really matters, though. He's an icon.
Despite looking a little like an elderly Howdy Doody wearing cowboy clothes, Big Tex has represented the State Fair of Texas since 1952.
The crazy part is that while Big Tex has always been a Texan, he wasn't always a cowboy.
Big Tex Started Life As A Giant Santa Claus
Big Tex actually began his life in 1949 in Kerens, Texas, as an enormous Santa Claus.
The giant Santa was created as a promotional stunt designed to encourage people to do their Christmas shopping in Kerens instead of taking their money to larger nearby cities.
Apparently, the novelty wore off fairly quickly.
That left the folks in Kerens with the kind of problem most towns never have to deal with: What exactly do you do with a gigantic Santa Claus you don't want anymore?
The answer was to sell him.
The State Fair of Texas purchased the giant figure for the whopping price of $750. He was then heavily modified, dressed as a cowboy and introduced to the world as Big Tex at the 1952 State Fair of Texas.
And just like that, giant Santa became giant cowboy.
Big Tex has been upgraded numerous times over the years. He eventually learned to talk, wave and even turn his head.
Then came his biggest setback.
In 2012, an electrical fire engulfed Big Tex during the State Fair and essentially destroyed him. The beloved cowboy was rebuilt and returned for the 2013 State Fair, and the new version was even taller.
The original giant Santa is reported as having stood either 42 or 49 feet tall, depending on the historical source. Today's Big Tex stands about 55 feet tall.
So what about my "little dopey" comment?
That doesn't mean Big Tex isn't very, very loved.
There's just something slightly off about him. Maybe it's the proportions. Maybe it's the cartoonish face. Maybe it's those extravagant cowboy clothes.
He's created millions of smiles, but I'd venture to guess he's probably also appeared in a few nightmares involving a 55-foot cowboy chasing somebody through Fair Park.
Finding out he started life as Santa Claus actually mutes the creepiness a little bit.
It also somehow makes the entire story even more Texas.
A small town builds a gigantic Santa Claus to sell Christmas presents. The State Fair buys him for $750, turns him into a cowboy, and more than seven decades later he's one of the most recognizable figures in the entire state.
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You can tip your hat to him this Friday through October 18th at Fair Park In Dallas.
So here's to Big Tex: the gigantic, slightly goofy, thoroughly beloved ambassador of the State Fair of Texas.
Howdy, folks.
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Gallery Credit: Nessmania
