Bobbling along: Landmark Las Vegas sign earns new honor

The “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign has earned a new honor and a first.

It now has a bobblehead. No other sign has yet been honored.

To celebrate National Bobblehead Day, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled the first bobble featuring the landmark “Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas” sign.

“My co-founder and I have been going to Vegas twice a year for the past several years for the licensing show in May/June and the Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show in January,” said Phil Sklar, hall of fame and museum CEO and co-founder. “We’ve seen how iconic the Vegas sign is and thought that it would be great to turn into a bobble.”

The limited-edition bobble is being released in conjunction with National Bobblehead Day, which is Jan. 7.

The bobble is being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which is in Milwaukee.

The colorful bobble features a replica of the mounted sign on a circular green base just like the decorative artificial turf that is found below the actual landmark. The front of the sign reads “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada,” while the back reads: “Drive Carefully Come Back Soon.” The bobble is available exclusively through the museum’s online store. The bobbles, which are expected to ship in February, are $30 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.

Funded in May 1959 and erected soon after by Western Neon, the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign has been a fixture in the median at 5100 Las Vegas Boulevard South ever since. The 25-foot landmark, which cost $4,000 to build, was designed by Betty Willis, an employee of Western Neon.

Officially nominated by the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office, the National Park Service approved the designation of having the sign listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 1, 2009. It was added to the State Register of Historic Places on December 6, 2013. Some consider the sign to be the official end of the Las Vegas Strip.

“We are excited to unveil the first bobble of the iconic ‘Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas” sign — one of the most historic Las Vegas landmarks,” Sklar said. “The sign has gained so much popularity, it has become a go-to stop for tourists.”

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, at 170 S. 1st St. in Milwaukee, opened to the public on February 1, 2019.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com or follow on X at @VegasMarvRJ.