Good news: Big Tex is back. The 55-foot-high, 61-year-old cowboy who presided for decades over the State Fair of Texas in Fair Park has been restored to his former glory after catching fire in October last year.
The makeover has clearly changed his appearance, leading the Dallas Observer to wonder, “Is Big Tex Mexican?”
Given Texas’ shifting demographics in the six decades since he was first unveiled, one couldn’t fault the State Fair officials for making the cowboy a bit more ethnically ambiguous, but they’re playing coy. [State fair spokeswoman Sue] Gooding told WFAA on Thursday, “He can be who you want him to be.”
A local morning radio show tweeted this:
Does Big Tex look African American or Mexican? pic.twitter.com/BtARDyVdYo
— K104 Morning Show (@K104MorningShow) September 25, 2013
State Fair spokeswoman Sue Gooding told reporter Jobin Panicker:
“Big Tex represents all of Texas, and Texans come in all shapes and colors and we need to embrace that diversity,”
Welcome back, Señor Tex.
Kent Jones