Howard Johnson’s Large Neon Sign

The large sign advertised Howard Johnson, a restaurant that became known for its 28 flavors of ice cream. Originally opened in 1925 as a corner pharmacy selling soda and ice cream, by 1940, there were more than 100 Howard Johnson locations across the country.

The Museum’s sign was created around 1958 and originally located in Utica, New York. At about 20 feet tall, it weighs more than 1,500 pounds and depicts characters inspired by the nursery rhyme “Simple Simon met a pie-man going to the fair…” This imagery was chosen to promote that the restaurants—as well as the franchised motels and hotels operating by this time—were all family-friendly. Today, Howard Johnson’s lodging is owned and operated by Wyndham Worldwide, but the last Howard Johnson restaurant closed in 2022.

Corning glass was the original manufacturer of the ruby red neon in this sign.

03/09/2012: H, R, TA neon at cost of $115

12/30/2011: FAIR, grass, fence, man’s face at cost of $490

11/18/2011: HOWARD’s R at cost of $35

09/30/2011: borders for 2 sides at cost of $672

09/09/2011: FLA, VORS, 28, ICE, CRE, AM at cost of $672

09/02/2011: parts of 2 Howard at cost of $389

09/02/2011: JOHNSON’s at cost of $1,142

08/18/2011: FAIR w/ arrow, fence, grass at cost of $284

08/12/2011: man’s upper apron, fence, grass, A&B, man’s face, fence, dog, hat, boy’s shirt, B, at cost of $728

08/12/2011: boy’s arms, hands, face, hair, legs, foot, shirt; pie top, dog, man’s hat, shoe, legs, apron at cost of $740

07/22/2011: restaurant, strips at cost of $730

01/03/2020: chaser repair at cost of $60

01/03/2020: repair “R” at cost of $70

01/17/2020: repair/re-pump rose “ura” at cost of $90

02/12/2020: plug-in 4-point flashers at cost of $135.11

11/05/2021: replace chaser from stock at cost of $84