Tallest neon human figure

The tallest operational neon-lit figure representing a human is the iconic "Vegas Vic", which originally stood 40 feet (12.2 metres), and is now displayed at the Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Vegas Vic was designed by Patrick Denner (USA) of the Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was first installed on the exterior of the Pioneer Club casino in Las Vegas in 1951. In the mid 1990s, Vic's cowboy hat had to be shortened slightly in order for the sign to fit under the canopy of his new home in Fremont Street. To this day, he is still lit and animated, with one of his eyes winking and the neon cigarette in the corner of his mouth moving up and down.

Vegas Vic wasn't just a big neon sign – he was also interactive. His arm waved, a voicebox enabled him to say "Howdy, partner" every 15 minutes (this audio element was removed in 2006), and he even blew smoke rings intermittently from his neon cigarette! Costing $25,000 at the time, this was one of the most expensive signs in Las Vegas. He has undergone a number of fashion styles over the decades, with his shirt originally being white with yellow chequered stripes, then was painted solid yellow in the 1970s and finally during a 1998 restoration, receiving its current red and yellow chequered pattern.

Vegas Vic inspired several other neon cowboy-themed figures, including one that actually outsized him. Also created by Pat Denner, just a year after Vegas Vic was finished, "Wendover Will" was erected at the Stateline Casino in West Wendover, Nevada, in 1952. At 46 ft (14 m), Will exceeds Vic by 6 ft (1.8 m). However, Wendover Will converted from using neon to LED lighting in 2023 so is no longer technically a neon sign. A replica of Vegas Vic (though with a different paint scheme), dubbed "River Rick", was also created by YESCO for the Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall in Laughlin, Nevada, in 1981. As of 2024, Rick is not currently operational.

The tallest female figure in neon is Vegas Vic's counterpart, Vegas Vickie, with a height of 20 ft (6 m); owing to the fact, she is in a seated position and kicking out one leg, she is actually wider at 25 ft (7.6 m). Vickie was created by Ad Art designer Charles “Chuck” Barnard and first installed in 1980 (originally above the Glitter Gulch casino on Fremont Street). In a city known for its weddings, neon pardners Vegas Vic and Vickie were "married" in a special ceremony in 1994 during construction of the Fremont Street Experience. Vickie was taken down from her original home in 2017 and restored, and now resides indoors at the Circa Resort and Casino.

Other examples of large neon women that are still active are “Siatkarka”, a 15–18-ft (4.6–5.5-m) volleyball-playing figure designed by Jan Mucharski of the Polish Poster School and erected in 1960 in Constitution Square, Warsaw, Poland. Another is "Little Audrey", created for the company Skipping Girl Vinegar in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1936. Audrey's height (excluding lettering) is estimated to be 12–14 ft (3.7–4.3 m) tall. Now maintained by Australia Gas and Light as a cultural landmark, since 2012, she has been powered exclusively by solar energy.