The Crazy Girls statue, showcasing seven of the most-touched items in Las Vegas history, will soon have its third location. The bronze statue is set to be revealed on Friday, June 27 at the Circa casino resort in the downtown area, where it will enhance the entrance to the newly updated rooftop Legacy Club.
The Crazy Girls statue was initially revealed in 1997 outside the Riviera, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the topless revue of the same name launched there by producer Norbert Aleman.
The concept for the statue was inspired by a photograph captured during the 1994 advertising campaign for the show. While shooting with photographer Greg Rider, dancers Sampras-Stabile and Shellee Renee proposed turning their backs to the camera.
“No Ifs, Ands or …,” read the ad copy written below the photo on billboards and atop taxis.
The idea for the Crazy Girls statue came from this photo used as part of a 1994 ad campaign. (Image: Vintage Las Vegas/Greg Rider)
Booting Ass
The statue swiftly ascended to become one of the most sought-after lucky charms on the Las Vegas Strip, outshining even the golden breasts hanging from Cleopatra’s Barge and the left hand of Augustus Caesar’s statue at Caesars Palace's valet entrance.
It was also said to be the most photographed statue in Las Vegas.
When the Riv permanently closed in 2015, ending 60 years of operation, Planet Hollywood rescued both the show and the statue from the fate that awaited the Rat Pack-era venue.
However, the relief was merely short-lived. In 2021, Caesars Entertainment, the owner of Planet Hollywood, chose to permanently close “Crazy Girls” and to put the statue into storage.
In 2023, a representative from Caesars informed Casino.org that they did not intend to showcase the statue again.
Sisterhood of the Wandering Rear Ends
On June 25, the statue, which measures six feet tall, 11 feet wide, and weighs 1,540 lbs., will travel from Planet Hollywood to Circa via motorcade.
“Anyone visiting can rub a butt for good luck once again!” Circa wrote on its Instagram page.
Circa enjoys preserving classic Sin City icons and showcasing them to the public again (provided they connect Circa to do it). Vegas Vickie, the female equivalent of Vegas Vic, is located within its lobby.
Similar to many symbols of Las Vegas, the Crazy Girls statue is accompanied by its own completely fabricated legend. Throughout the years, numerous websites have claimed that one of the girls depicted in the statue is transgender.
Dancer Jahna Steele, originally a biological male, emerged as the standout star of “Crazy Girls” during its initial years. In a 1991 newspaper competition, readers chose her as Las Vegas' “Sexiest Showgirl on the Strip,” likely unaware that she was originally John Matheny.
However, Steele was dismissed from the group a year later when producer Aleman succumbed to the homophobic backlash from a nationwide scandal regarding her gender fueled by the tabloid show “A Current Affair.”
However, that occurred five years prior to when New Mexico artist Michael Conine created the Crazy Girls statue using body molds taken from the actual cast.
