Fire destroys State Fair of Texas icon Big Tex

Big Tex was actually built in 1949 as a giant Santa Claus for a Christmas celebration in Kerens, 60 miles south of Dallas. Intrigued by the idea of a towering cowboy, the State Fair paid $750 for the structure, which debuted as Big Tex in 1952.

Big Tex is inextricably linked to the State Fair. The State Fair website is www.bigtex.com, and visitors to the site see their cursor turn into an image of Big Tex’s head, clad in a cowboy hat. The fair’s Twitter account features the cowboy’s image as well.

“You know somebody’s a true Texan if you say ‘Big Tex’ and they don’t look at you like you’re weird,” Gooding said.

Perhaps no one is closer to the giant cowboy than Bragg, who has served as the voice of Big Tex the last 11 years. Working inside a trailer a few yards from the base of the structure, the 65-year-old radio engineer reads from a script while his voice makes Big Tex’s mouth move automatically.

As the crane moved into position to remove his old friend, Bragg was philosophical, saying he’d already been told he would be welcoming people to the fair in the same fashion next year.

“My job is safe and secure,” he said. “They’re telling me, ‘Take the rest of the day off and we’ll see you next year.’”

• Associated Press writer Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.

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