Largest animated animal neon sign

The largest animated neon sign in the form of an animal is the flying Anheuser-Busch Eagle located on the roof of the Budweiser brewery in Newark, New Jersey, USA. With wings that stretch 32 ft 9.5 in (10 m) across, the iconic Newark landmark comprises some 4,500 ft (1,372 m) of neon tubing, laid out in six layers that light up in a staggered series to create the illusion that the wings are flapping. The illuminated rotating logo, which weighs in at 13,600 kg (30,000 lb), also incorporates around 2,000 light bulbs into its design. The sign was first installed in 1951, though the current one is a replica fitted 50 years later in 2001.

The original "A & Eagle" logo was drawn by Disney animator Byron Rabbit in February 1951. For added authenticity, a real American bald eagle was hired and filmed in flight for Rabbit to base his sketches on. The company tasked with turning the design into reality was the Artkraft Strauss Sign Corporation, based in Manhattan, New York, which has maintained the sign ever since.

Based on the same design, there is a sister Anheuser-Busch Eagle neon sign (known as "Aerie") located on the I-64 highway in St Louis, Missouri (originally installed in Los Angeles in 1953 and moved to St Louis in 1962), but it is slightly smaller than its Newark cousin, using some 4,000 ft (1,220 m) of neon tubing.

Ever since the Newark neon eagle was first installed, pilots (particularly those in helicopters) arriving at the nearby Newark Liberty International Airport have used the neon eagle as a beacon to help when landing or waiting for a free runway. Neon beacons became particularly popular in the aviation world in the 1920s, where it was found the light they produced was easier to see at night or in overcast/foggy conditions.

The largest non-animated neon animal sign (albeit a mythological animal) is a pair of twinned 40 x 32-foot (12.2 x 9.8-m) enamel and neon Pegasus flying horses, which incorporate more than 1,000 ft (305 m) of neon tubing, and are displayed as public art in Dallas, Texas, USA. Created by local signmaker Texlite, they were originally installed at the top of the now Magnolia Hotel in 1934 when it was owned by Magnolia Petroleum (later known as the Mobil Oil Corporation and now as ExxonMobil). In 1973, the Pegasus signs were recognized as local landmarks and, three years later, became property of the City of Dallas. To mark the new millennium, a slightly smaller replica of the Pegasus sign was fitted at the top of the Magnolia Hotel. The larger originals were rediscovered in storage in 2015 and restored to be displayed to the public once more.