The Mascot Minute: This Week in Mascot News
The Oregon Duck’s Trojan Horse Arrives Two Weeks Late — Before Saturday’s game at Autzen Stadium, Oregon wheeled out a giant wooden Trojan horse, and the Duck burst out of its back end to re-create the siege of Troy. The bit was a jab at USC, whom Oregon had beaten two weeks earlier, but the Ducks’ opponent on the day was UCLA. The Bruins won 17-15, dropping No. 13 Oregon to 3-2. In mascot terms, the stunt landed perfectly. The calendar didn’t.
Eddie and Annie the Eagle Tie the Knot — North Carolina Central’s mascots made it official during homecoming week in the Greek Bowl on the Durham campus. Annie wore a white dress, Eddie wore a tux, and the Sound Machine Marching Band played Petey Pablo’s “Raise Up” as they came down the aisle, with East Carolina’s PeeDee the Pirate in the procession. It was a whirlwind romance. Annie, the school’s first female eagle mascot and the namesake of founder Dr. James E. Shepard’s wife, debuted only on Sept. 5, when Eddie proposed on the field. Eddie, for the record, has been NCCU’s mascot since 1972, so he clearly wasn’t in any rush.
Stormy Takes On Vancouver Real Estate — During Carolina’s game against the Canucks, Hurricanes mascot Stormy the Ice Hog held up a detailed sign on the Jumbotron about Metro Vancouver’s housing market. It covered foreign buyers, vacancy levies, and the 2027 expiration of Canada’s foreign buyer ban, and it signed off with “Also, oink.” Hurricanes fans were baffled. Canucks fans on Reddit said they’d take all the support they could get. Easily the most policy-literate trolling in the NHL this season.
Thor the Viking Returns to Rexburg — BYU-Idaho unveiled Thor as its official mascot during Spirit Week, bringing back the Viking from the school’s Ricks College days as the university marks its 25th anniversary. “We spent a lot of time talking to students, faculty, and alumni,” said Amy Renee, vice president of Student Life, and the University Store has already rolled out a full Viking merch line. Thor will appear at New Student Orientation, Date Night, and other campus events.
Meet Thunder, Colorado’s Other Running Bison — CU’s Ralphie isn’t the only bison sprinting across a Colorado football field. Lamar High School’s Thunder runs onto the field at home games, guided by a student “herdsman” team that practices about twice a week. Thunder weighs about 750 pounds and is expected to double that in a couple of years. Lamar became the Thunder after Colorado’s 2022 law restricting American Indian mascots, and the live bison has since become the town’s biggest source of school pride. Her handlers describe her personality in one word: “Ornery.”
SWOOP and Jaxson Go to the Zoo — Ahead of the Eagles and Jaguars meeting in London, the NFL moved both teams’ mascots into London Zoo as part of a citywide takeover that also featured Super Bowl rings and flag football. No word on whether the zoo’s actual eagles were consulted.
AI Companies Discover What We Already Knew — Meta gave its Muse AI agent a fuzzy, rosy-cheeked mascot named Jolly, and OpenAI followed by launching Dots, colorful characters users can dress in berets, bow ties and glasses. Experts say a friendly face makes abstract tech easier to trust, though comparisons to Microsoft’s Clippy arrived right on schedule. Welcome to the club, robots. The dues are paid in high-fives.
S.J. Sharkie Reports for Duty — The San Jose Sharks’ mascot toured the guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George, posing for photos with the crew. A shark on a Navy ship is either great morale or a very confusing drill.
Benny the Beaver’s Greatest Hits — WiscNews and the Wisconsin State Journal are counting down Benny the Beaver’s top nine moments as Beaver Dam High School’s mascot, from leading the girls basketball team onto the floor at the WIAA state championship to playing with kids at conference games. High school mascots rarely get a countdown. This one earned it.
From the Hall
Introducing The Mascot Awards — The Mascot Hall of Fame has launched The Mascot Awards, an annual celebration of the year’s best mascot moments. The trophy is the Golden Reggy, named for our own purple party dude. Mascots compete in six divisions: High School, Collegiate, Minor League & Semi-Pro, Major League, Corporate, and Nonprofit. A dozen open awards, including Stunt of the Year, Most Iconic Viral Moment, and Mascot Fail of the Year, put every level on the same stage. Hall of Fame induction honors a career. The Golden Reggys honor this year’s best. Details coming next week!
Photo: BYU-Idaho
