Arguably the province's best-known symbol,[3] the statue was modeled after the Roman god Mercury (Greek: Hermes) and is meant to represent the prosperity and entrepreneurial spirit of Manitoba.

[1] The statue depicts a nude young man running forward carrying a torch in one hand and a bundle of wheat in the other.

[4] With the exception of several months in 2002 when the statue was lowered for restoration (including regilding), the Golden Boy has stood atop the Legislative Building since its opening.

[3] The Golden Boy was conceived during the backdrop of World War I by British-born architect Frank Worthington Simon, who also designed the Manitoba Legislative Building that the figure would adorn.

Being judged as best reflecting this goal, Simon's designs intended to create a building of inspiration, and his 'crowning glory' would be the statue positioned at its highest point.

[4] The final cost of the Golden Boy—including expenses related to designing, creating, casting, transporting, and lifting the statue to the top of the Legislature dome—totalled CA$13,240.73.

[1][5] In 1966, the Government of Manitoba had an electric lamp installed atop the torch of the statue, which was first lit on 31 December 1966 to mark Canada's centennial celebrations in 1967.

[6] In August 2002, the statue was regilded with a micro-thin coat of 23.75-karat gold leaf in a climate-controlled enclosure in full view of the public.

[1] The Golden Boy was modelled on Giovanni da Bologna's 16th-century sculpture of the Roman messenger god of trade, profit and commerce, Mercury.