FedEx Office steps in
to help a true Texas giant.
Everything’s bigger in Texas, and that goes double for Big Tex, the tallest
cowboy in the West. For nearly 60 years, the 52-foot-tall statue presided
over the State Fair of Texas, greeting generations of fair goers with a
booming “Howdy, folks!” throughout the annual 24-day event.
That is, until the day Big Tex went up in flames due to an electrical short.
“It was the last Friday of the Fair in 2012,” says Sue Gooding, senior vice
president of communications for the State Fair of Texas. “It was surreal to
see Big Tex burning. We called the fire department and had the structure
removed within an hour.”
CHALLENGES Because Big Tex is such an iconic part of the State Fair of Texas,
there was no question that he would need to be rebuilt — and quickly.
FedEx Office collaborated with State Fair officials to help Big Tex make a
larger-than-life comeback. “We came up with the idea to create boot prints
of Big Tex and needed to print and then ship them all over Texas,” Gooding
says. Big Tex footprints needed to be printed quickly without compromising
quality, while ensuring consistent size and color across all the locations
where the boot prints would appear. Standing up to the elements and foot
traffic was a must, as well as the ability to adhere to various surfaces such
as asphalt, concrete and brick.
How We Helped
•Consultative idea
generation
•Large-format printing
•Precision contour cutting
• Extra-durable substrate
“We were thrilled
to partner with
FedEx Office to bring
Big Tex back home
to the State Fair.”
— Sue Gooding, senior vice president of
communications for the State Fair of Texas.
“We are thrilled to be a part of bringing Big Tex home to Dallas.
Preparing for his arrival in a fun and interactive way requires filling some
rather large shoes (or in this case, boots), and we are honored to help.”
— Brian Philips, President and CEO of FedEx Office
SOLUTIONS Gooding and her team were excited to see the boot print
idea come to life. Each print was more than 10 feet from toe to heel
and more than three feet across at the widest point, providing plenty
of room to include fun facts about Big Tex.
•Grand format printing. 15 sets of boot prints were produced on
grand format printers that can print substrates up to 10 feet wide
and more than 100 feet long.
•Contour cutting. The boot prints were cut into a precision shape
using a state-of-the-art, computer-controlled, Zund Flatbed cutter.
•Durable materials. To help the prints withstand heavy traffic and
the Texas heat, FedEx Office recommended a pliable aluminum foil
substrate with a high-friction, slip-resistant, UV-resistant coating.
•Fast delivery. A project this size and scope, with color matching
assurance, took only 72 hours to print, pack and ship.
•Shipping. The prints were produced at a Centralized Production
Center in Austin and shipped to several Texas towns and cities.
RESULTS Two short weeks before the start of the 2013 State Fair, Big
Tex’s unmistakable size 70 boot prints were spotted in Dallas, Austin,
Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston and his hometown of Kerens, as
the towering cowboy two-stepped across Texas on his way to the
fairgrounds. The new, bigger, better Big Tex was unveiled in a special
ceremony and is once again greeting fans and visitors at the State Fair
of Texas.
LET’S MAKE IT HAPPEN Find out how FedEx Office can do more for you.
Go to fedex.com/corporateprint or call 1.800.GoFedEx 1.800.463.3339.
BIG TEX STATS
55 feet
Weight:
24,000 lbs.
Boot length: 10 ¾ feet
Hometown:
Kerens, Texas
Favorite saying: “Howdy, folks!”
Height: