Artist Willis designed the famous neon sign in 1959 . The sign sits in a median in the middle of Las Vegas Boulevard south of the Strip and is a popular tourist attraction . In 2009 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places . No one owns the copyright to the sign , so it is often imitated and appears on all kinds of souvenirs in Las Vegas and elsewhere .
Artist Betty Willis designed the famous neon sign in 1959 . The sign sits in a median in the middle of Las Vegas Boulevard south of the Strip and is a popular tourist attraction . In 2009 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places . No one owns the copyright to the sign , so it is often imitated and appears on all kinds of souvenirs in Las Vegas and elsewhere .