Pink Elephant
Las Vegas, Nevada
This pastel pachyderm guarded the swimming pool of one of The Strip's last low-price establishments until the motel closed in late 2023 -- standing below the most generic of large motel signs: "MOTEL" and "ROOMS AVAILABLE."
There are a handful of mass-produced fiberglass pink elephants scattered across the country, but this unique Jumbo is not one of them. It originally stood outside of the Bagdad Inn elsewhere in Vegas. That was in the early 1960s, and the elephant was gray. At some unknown date it was moved here and painted pink.
In a smaller town this pink elephant would be a celebrated landmark. In Las Vegas you'll only notice it if you can tear your eyes away from the massive casinos across the street.
In October 2023 the motel closed and a fence was erected around the property, trapping the elephant. We hope that it will find a new home in Sin City, if it doesn't fall apart when someone tries to move it.