The State Fair of Texas is one of the Longhorn State’s biggest annual events, attracting thousands of people each year to Dallas. It’s also the site of the annual Longhorns vs. Sooners rivalry game.
Meet Big Tex, the State Fair of Texas’ 55-foot-tall, talking, terrifying, and newly fireproof (for a reason) cowboy statue
If you’re watching Texas vs. Oklahoma, you’re probably also seeing Big Tex.
Twitter/@StateFairofTX
One of the most iconic features is “Big Tex,” a 55-foot giant cowboy statue that greets fair visitors as they walk in.
Big Tex’s origins begin after WWII.
He was actually used in the small town of Kerens, Texas, whose residents would drive to nearby Corsicana to go Christmas shopping. So the Kerns Chamber of Commerce decided to build a 49-foot Santa Clause to encourage people to Christmas shop there. The thing was made out of of iron-pipe drill casing, paper mache, cloth, and seven-foot strips of unravelled rope for Santa Claus’ beard.
In 1951, the idea was brought to Dallas, with a cowboy twist.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has more details of how Big Tex was purchased to promote the State Fair:
In 1951, he was bought for $750 by Dallas businessman R.L. Thornton, then president of the State Fair and later mayor of Dallas, and transformed by Dallas artist Jack T. Bridges.
In 1952, he made his debut as Big Tex at the State Fair, decked out in western garb, including size-70 boots and a 75-gallon cowboy hat.
A year later, Mr. Tex began talking. Though his voice sometimes changed through the years, his Texas drawl was always present as he belted out greeting to State Fair visitors, including his trademark “Howdy!” He even spoke a little Spanish at times.
In 1997, Mr. Tex received an extreme makeover. Amusements Inc. turned him from a man made of iron pipes from the oil fields into a man of steel who tipped the scales at 6,000 pounds.
Big Tex can wave to patrons as they come and go, and he even greets them vocally.
In 2012, Big Tex was tragically set on fire
According to USA Today, the cause of the fire was electrical:
Bill Bragg, who provided Big Tex’s voice live for the past 10 years from a nearby trailer, tells the News he was reading from his script and didn’t see the fire until he glanced up. “He went down talking,” Bragg, who watched with tears in his eyes, tells the News.
Mitchell Glieber, vice president of marketing for the fair, says it was likely an electrical short circuit in Big Tex’s vocal equipment that caused the blaze.
It was later reported that a short in Big Tex’s right boot was the cause of the blaze. Dallas’ mayor promised Texas’ beloved icon would return.
The following year, Big Tex was rebuilt bigger and better than ever. He was built an extra three feet bigger than the other one, with some added special touches:
At 55ft he is three feet taller and with a 95-gallon hat rather than the previous incarnation’s 75-gallon headwear. And at 19,000 pounds heavier, as he is now free-standing. His clothes are redesigned and his boots are decorated with graphics including the American and Texas flags and the state capitol. His darker complexion has led some to dub him “Big Tex-Mex” amid rumors that it was a conscious decision to acknowledge Texas’s growing Hispanic population.
Oh and most importantly — he was rebuilt with completely flame-resistant material, so BIG TEX FOREVER!
To learn more about Big Tex, I talked with a native Texan about him.
SB Nation NBA Writer and good pal Tim Cato was gracious enough to fill me in, so I asked him a few questions about the famous guy:
Moriarty: Obviously Big Tex is an iconic part of the Texas State Fair. As someone who’s only been to Texas once in her life, tell me a little bit about what a big deal the Fair is every year.
Cato: Texas loooooooooooves itself. And, like, there’s good reasons for that, but the State Fair is like an embodiment of Texas’ self-love. It’s bigger than all those other wack state fairs that other states try to throw. It’s got enough cholesterol from all the various fried foods to kill a fully grown cow. Hell, next year, they might have a Deep Fried Fully Grown Cow. They already have deep fried butter, and deep fried bubblegum, and this year, deep fried chicken noodle soup on a stick.
So yes, the State Fair is massive and such a big damn deal because it’s a testament that Texas loves itself.
Moriarty: Is Big Tex one of those things that’s bigger than the State Fair and Dallas? Like, can you get T-shirts with this thing throughout the state?
Cato: I don’t know if you’d necessarily find T-shirts across the state, but if you did, or if you wore a T-shirt like that, almost any Texan would know what it is. It’s Big Tex. Of course it’s Big Tex!
Moriarty: It’s apparently 55 feet tall — what exactly does that look like in person?
Cato: Big Tex is this looming figure that you can spot from most parts of the fair, and that’s a little scary. He’s like your dad, making sure you don’t cut lines or throw your trash on the ground. It’s reassuring, I guess? I just wish he wasn’t so scary.
Moriarty: And ... it talks?! Is that creepy??
Cato: Yes. Absolutely, 100 percent, yes, it’s terrifying.
Moriarty: Big Tex got set on fire in 2012 — what do you remember most about that story and how big of a deal was it at the time?
Cato: I mean, as far as I remember, most people laughed about it. Big Tex is hugely memorable and historically important, but everyone is happy to admit he’s also scary as hell. There were many jokes and a lot of people gave ridiculous suggestions as to how they should rebuild the thing.
As it turned out, they just doubled down on the big terrifying-ness of him. Ah well. That’s the most Texas thing possible, I suppose.
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