Ah, yes, it was back in July (7/23/12, to be precise), that we answered a QoD about Blarney Stones and touched on some of the other Irish theming, and subsequent de-theming, of Fitzgeralds casino downtown.
It was at some point in the the 1980s that Mr O'Lucky was added to the neon roof display, where he nestled alongside some gold coins, shamrocks, and a rainbow, welcoming visitors with his grin and a hat-waving arm. Then, in the first wave of de-theming, in 1996 (we think), the statue came down* and landed in the Neon Boneyard, around the time when the Fremont Street Experience canopy was erected.
Generally known for their diminutive size, at 34-feet tall, this steel and fiberglass mascot was probably one of the biggest leprechauns ever, but things only went from bad to worse for Mr O'Lucky, who progressed from his once lofty beginnings, to a somewhat unidignified prone position in the Neon Boneyard, where he remained until one fateful night in the summer of 2004.
At around 4:15 a.m. on the morning of August 6, the Fire Department was called to a blaze at the Boneyard. It turned out that a homeless person, who'd taken shelter in the mascot's belly (a popular residential spot, apparently), lit a fire that got out of control and burned everyting aside from his lower legs and parts of his arms, dashing the proto-museum's plan to restore him to his former glory some day.
For those nostalgic for this piece of old downtown memorabilia, we've seen original Mr O'Lucky key chains for sale online, for as little as $1, while we also came across the blog of someone who claimed to be writing a graphic novel based on his story. We'll keep you posted if we hear more...
Click here to see an image of Mr O'Lucky in his original glory, while here's stage one of his ignominious demise, followed by the initial fire damage, and now this is all that's left. (If that -- has anyone visited the Neon Museum lately? Is he even there anymore? Please, drop us a line if you know.)
*A new version of Mr. O'Lucky replaced the old one, but he was taken down too, in 2002, when the front of the Four Queens was remodeled.
