- Bucky Badger
Infobox College Mascot
name = Bucky Badger
image_size = 175
caption = Bucky Badger logo
university = University of Wisconsin–Madison
conference = Big Ten Conference
conference_short = Big Ten
description = Anthropomorphicbadger
name_origin = Winning entry in competition
first_seen = 1949
related_mascots = Regdab Raccoon
official_website =
hall_of_fame = 2006Bucky Badger is the official
mascot of theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison . His full name is Buckingham U. Badger and he attends all major sporting events for theWisconsin Badgers as well as hundreds of other events around Wisconsin every year.Origin
Bucky the
badger was first drawn by localWisconsin artist, Art Evans, in 1940 [cite web
url = http://waa.uwalumni.com/onlinewisconsin/2001-8.html
title = ONline Wisconsin - August 2001
accessdate = 2007-01-11
year = 2001
month = 08
language = English] [cite web
url = http://www.uwalumni.com/home/coolstuff/askabe/askabe_campus/askabe_campus.aspx
title = Ask Abe Archives - Campus Traditions
accessdate = 2007-01-11
language = English] . An actual badger from Eau Claire was used at the first few football games that year, but proved to be too fierce to be controlled properly and was retired to the nearbyHenry Vilas Zoo . After that, the school replaced the live badger with a liveraccoon named Regdab ('badger' backwards). In 1949, a Bucky head-piece was created and a contest was started to properly name the mascot. The winning entry was Buckingham U. Badger. In 2006, Bucky was inducted as a charter member of theMascot Hall of Fame 's College Division, joiningYoUDee from Delaware andAubie from Auburn.Attire and attitude
Bucky wears a cardinal red and white Wisconsin
sweater along with a gruff look on his face (the costumed-mascot version is decidedly cheerier, with a beaming smile).During sporting events, he is generally seen interacting with the
crowd , especially the rambunctious student section. For example, during football games Bucky often directs Section O to dance along with the band's music or pretends to pick fights with certain students. He also has a history of playfully fighting other team's mascots like the University of Minnesota'sGoldy Gopher orPurdue University 's Purdue Pete. Although fighting is no longer allowed by NCAA mascots, Bucky still frequently interacts with other mascots through skits.Bill Sagal was the first costumed Bucky Badger. The original Bucky costume was introduced at a pep rally on Friday, November 11, 1949, before the next day's Homecoming game against Iowa (Wisconsin 35, Iowa 13). Carolyn (Connie) Conrad, a UW art student, designed the original chicken wire and paper mache head. Sagal, then head cheerleader, wore his regular cheerleader trousers and sweater and added boxing gloves.
Logo
The modern Bucky Badger logo was part of a group of "comic collegiate badger mascots" created by the Anson W. Thompson Company of Los Angeles in 1940. The company was one of several that manufactured decals and other logowear for universities. The Madison-based Brown's Book Store (no longer in business) was the first to order the pose. Other bookstores in the area ordered other poses. The UW athletic department first used the logo on the cover of the 1948 Football Facts and Centennial Sports Review.
That image of Bucky was adopted and used by many local businesses in and around Madison. In 1988 the University of Wisconsin-Madison formed a trademark licensing program to register the Bucky logo, which was opposed by local merchants. Ownership was decided in the case "University Book Store v. University of Wisconsin-Madison Board of Regents". The United States Patent and Trademark Office allowed the UW to register the marks despite previous third-party use on the grounds that the public identified the Bucky Badger logo with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In 2003, Bucky was given an update, with simplified lines and the "motion W" on his sweater. This might have been done in part to give the University a version of Bucky that was associated with the University alone, and had never been used in any other context. The mascot costume was also updated to feature the motion W.
Variations
Blind Bucky is sometimes used to represent the
University of Wisconsin Law School [http://www.law.wisc.edu/alumni/emporium/buckyprint.htm] .Bucky with a stethoscope is occasionally used by the Medical Alumni Association.
tudent portrayal
The students (usually 7) who portray Bucky Badger are all volunteers, despite rumors of full scholarships or financial reimbursement (as is the system in some universities). Every year tryouts are held to find the next students who will don the fur and represent UW-Madison. Tryouts include tests of dancing skills, expressiveness in suit, ability to work with props, and how many pushups a candidate can do, as well as an interview and ability to write and perform an original skit.
References
External links
* [http://www.college-football--tickets.net/wisconsin/history.htm Bucky Badger History]
* [http://www.uwbadgers.com UW Badgers Website]
* [http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/WebZ/SearchOrBrowse?sessionid=01-43059-68218267 Photos of classic Bucky costumes from "The University of Wisconsin-Madison Collection" online database]
*The [http://www.wisc.edu/licensing/ UW-Madison Office of Trademark Licensing] controls the Bucky Badger logo's trademark.
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