CLOWNSIZING: The All-Time Biggest Las Vegas Clowns

• Gambling News
• 26 August 2025

A few American cultural icons are overshadowed on a street where pirates used to fight every night and Elvis impersonators stroll freely.

With the possible exception of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Las Vegas was never really a clown town.  However, the Bozos we've had—from real-life circus performers to fictional casino mascots—were adored.  (And dreaded, depending on one's phobias.)

1. Circus Circus Sign, Lucky the Clown

This smiling mascot, one of the most recognizable neon symbols in Las Vegas, has been guiding guests into the casino since 1976.  YESCO (the Young Electric Sign Company) created Lucky in order to enhance Circus Circus's carnival concept and kid-friendly branding.  It has been featured in numerous Hollywood establishing shots of the area and rises 123 feet above the Strip.

The style of Lucky is based on mid-century American circus themes that were influenced by Barnum & Bailey and Ringling Bros.  Although it has undergone numerous renovations throughout the years, the sign is original.

2. Boardwalk Casino Sign, Jocko the Clown

The Boardwalk Casino was represented by the second most well-known clown in Las Vegas.  From 1988 until 2006, the Boardwalk provided a whimsical counterpoint to its glitzier neighbors with its fake roller coaster and beachside amusement park feel.

At that point, the land was demolished to make way for the construction of what was initially known as CityCenter.  Jocko's likeness is still collectible through the silver strike tokens given out by special slot machines in the 1990s, but he was sadly not saved for resurrection at the Neon Museum—oh, the dangers of being second best.

3. Circus Performer Blinko the Clown

A famous figure in American entertainment, Ernie Burch—better known to circus audiences as Blinko the Clown—had a career that included both the glamour of the Strip and classic big-top performances.

Blinko, who was born in 1923, started out as a clown with the Daily Bros. Circus, where he gained recognition for his tender humor and expressive face.  Hollywood icon Cecil B. DeMille noticed his abilities and decided to put him in the epic "The Greatest Show on Earth" in 1952.  (DeMille gave Burch the nickname "Blinko," which he proudly adopted for the remainder of his life.)

In the late 1970s, Burch became the clown ambassador for Circus Circus, leaving behind his most enduring legacy.  He met visitors at the door, posed for pictures, and made balloon animals for both kids and adults while wearing full clown attire.  He died in 1993 at the age of 70 after retiring to Sarasota, Florida.

4. and 5. The Old Clown in "Mystère," Wayne Hronek and Brian Dewhurst

The unsung hero who influenced the foundation of Cirque du Soleil's Vegas clowning was Wayne Hronek.  Hronek not only played the part of clown when Treasure Island debuted "Mystère," the first Cirque production in Vegas, in 1993, but he also conceived it.

The observer, the idiot, and the trickster was his clown.  His performance wasn't a stand-in for his flying stunts.  The show was held together emotionally by me.

Brian Dewhurst, a British circus veteran who turned the part into a decades-long meditation on aging, joy, and tenacity, took over the red nose from Hronek after his stint ended in 2000.

Dewhurst was the oldest active performer in Cirque history when he made his farewell bow in 2022, at the age of 89.

6. Mr. Whimsey, Painting

Renowned realist Julian Ritter painted a lengthy sequence of paintings for the Silver Slipper, the final and most well-known of which was Mr. Whimsey (also known as the Hobo Clown).

The 39" x 30" oil picture, which was painted in 1968, greeted every visitor to the Silver Slipper as they entered the building and hung high in the foyer for thirty years.

Ritter's emotionally charged clowns and sultry nudists were used in The Silver Slipper to create a sensual and theatrical atmosphere at the entrance.

Howard Hughes bought the casino in 1968 because he was such a fan of the Slipper's 33 Ritter paintings.

Last year, Casino.org looked into how Greg Autry, an art collector, acquired the artworks in 1988.  Mr. Whimsey is presently for sale on eBay by Autry.