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Weird Vegas · Today in Vegas · November 7, 2026

Treasure Island Ditched Its Pirates in 2003. Its 32-Foot Skull Just Left the Neon Boneyard for a Makeover.

By Hargreaves Ledger, Pace Vegas Desk · November 7, 2026

The short versionThe Neon Museum said this week that the 32-foot fiberglass pirate skull from the original Treasure Island sign was lifted by crane out of the Neon Boneyard and taken to YESCO for restoration, according to News 3. It is the only survivor of the two skulls mounted on the resort's sign when it opened in 1993.
Neon sign of a pirate skull with a bandana hanging from a crane hook

A crane lifted the Treasure Island pirate skull out of the Neon Museum's Neon Boneyard this week so it could be trucked to YESCO for restoration, News 3 reported on Friday, November 6. The museum said it will announce when the skull comes back.

The sculpture is 32 feet tall and is the only one left of the two skulls that sat on the resort's sign when Treasure Island opened in 1993, according to News 3. It is molded fiberglass in three pieces: the skull, the earring and a bandana knot. Planned work includes fiberglass patching, stabilization and repainting.

The Neon Museum said the skull came down from Treasure Island in 2003, as the resort moved away from its original pirate theme, News 3 reported.

The desk's takeTreasure Island spent two decades trying to make everyone forget it had pirates, and the pirates are getting a spa week anyway. Vegas never really throws its past away; it just moves it to a museum and charges admission. A 32-foot skull with an earring is the most honest piece of Strip marketing ever built.

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