CLOWN DOWN: Will ‘Fried’ Circus Circus Sign Get a Glow-Up or End Up in the Boneyard?

Lucky the Clown is 50 years old this month and he might not make 51. It was in September 1976 that the Strip’s oldest surviving casino sign was illuminated by Circus Circus. Now, all lights on Circus Circus’ grinning mascot lights have been out for some time.

According to local Vegas observers, Lucky began experiencing electrical problems in late 2025, with portions of the display going dark until the sign was taken offline earlier this summer. Vital Vegas was told by Circus Circus that its electrical system is “fried.”

Towering 123 feet over the Strip, the 84-ton landmark has appeared in hundreds of Hollywood establishing shots of the town.

Times of the Sign

Circus Circus’s grinning mascot was designed by Dan Edwards and built by YESCO (the Young Electric Sign Company) to amplify the resort’s carnival theme and family-friendly branding.

Lucky’s aesthetic draws from mid-century American circus motifs inspired by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. The sign is original, though it has undergone multiple refurbishments over the decades—including the 2008 addition of cabinet-style backlit message panel.

“This really is a treasure because there’s no signs like it anymore,” said Vegas observer Shawn Coomer on the most recent edition of his Miles to Memories Vegas podcast. “This thing should be restored.

“If they’re going to spend $20 million on fixing it or $20 million building on a screen, in 2026, it seems like they always choose the latter.”

Illuminating Lucky’s Fate

According to Vital Vegas, the casino has been gathering repair estimates, and though the project is “hugely expensive … it sounds like they plan to #FixLucky.”

Not everyone is so hopeful.

“They won’t,” writes X user @WizardsChall, who reasons that casino owner Phil Ruffin wants to sell the land. (Circus Circus and the adjacent Festival Grounds, totaling 102 acres, have been for sale for $5 billion since at least early 2025 with no deal announced.)

“If Lucky is lucky,” @WizardsChall writes, “it will end up in the neon graveyard fully restored.”

The Neon Museum’s boneyard has become the final home for many retired Las Vegas neon signs that could not be maintained in place.