- The Oregon Duck
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The Oregon Duck The university uses Donald Duck as its mascot
University University of Oregon Conference Pac-12 Description First seen The Oregon Duck (also known as the Fighting Duck, Donald Duck, Puddles, or simply The Duck) is the mascot of the University of Oregon Ducks athletic program, based on Disney's Donald Duck character through a special license agreement. The mascot wears a green and yellow costume, and a green and yellow beanie cap with the word "Oregon" on it.
Contents
Early mascots
The nickname for Oregon's first sports teams was "Webfoots," coined by longtime Oregonian sports editor L. H. Gregory.[1] The name originated from a group of fishermen from the coast of Massachusetts whose descendants settled in Oregon's Willamette Valley.[1] When the University of Oregon was founded in 1876, Webfoots was the natural choice for the school's nickname,[1] because of Oregon's reputation for wet weather.
Relationship with Disney
Sports reporters later changed the nickname to "Ducks," and by the 1930s, a small white duck named "Puddles" began to appear at sports events. Beginning in 1940, cartoon drawings of Puddles in student publications began to resemble Donald Duck, and by 1947, Walt Disney was aware of the issue. Capitalizing on his friendship with a Disney cartoonist, Oregon athletic director Leo Harris met Disney and reached an informal handshake agreement that granted the University of Oregon permission to use Donald as its sports mascot.
When Disney lawyers later questioned the agreement in the 1970s, the University produced a photo showing Harris and Disney wearing matching jackets with an Oregon Donald logo.[2] Relying on the photo as evidence of Disney's wishes, in 1973, both parties signed a formal agreement granting the university the right to use Donald's likeness as a symbol for (and restricted to) Oregon sports.[1] The agreement gave Disney control over where the mascot could perform and ensured that the performer inside the costume would "properly represent the Donald Duck character."[3]
In 2010, Disney and the University reached an agreement that removed the costumed Oregon Duck mascot from its association with the Donald trademark and allows The Duck to make more public appearances, such as at college mascot competitions.[3] The mascot in graphic art, which is more similar to Donald Duck than the rounder head and body of the costume, is still covered by the trademark agreement.[3]
Controversy
During the 2007 season opener, The Duck attacked Shasta, the mascot for the Houston Cougars, for seemingly copying the Duck's routine of doing push ups after the mascot's team scores. Footage of the attack became very popular on YouTube for several weeks. The Duck was suspended for a game and the student inside the costume received an unspecified punishment.[4] Late in the 2009 season, students of the university created a video, I Love My Ducks, in which The Duck made an appearance. Due to the agreement with Disney in place at the time, the creators had to take the video down from YouTube. However by that time, the video had "gone viral" and coach Chip Kelly requested the video be played at the Ducks' final game of that season, the Civil War.[5]
Other mascots
A Nike-designed futuristic Lycra-suit wearing duck, nicknamed "Duck Vader", "Mandrake", or "RoboDuck" by the student body, began appearing at athletic events in 2003,[2] though as of 2005 this mascot is no longer in use.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "The Duck". GoDucks.com. http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=153778. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
- ^ a b Schmidt, Brad (November 15, 2002). "One duck...or two?". Oregon Daily Emerald. http://media.www.dailyemerald.com/media/storage/paper859/news/2002/11/15/News/One-Duck.or.Two.part.1-1978791.shtml. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
- ^ a b c "Disney, UO mascot part ways". The Oregonian. March 4, 2010. http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/03/disney_uo_mascot_part_ways.html. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
- ^ "Bad Duck!". Associated Press. September 12, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-12-15. http://web.archive.org/web/20071215183129/http://cbs2.com/local/Oregon.Ducks.Mascot.2.535747.html. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
- ^ "'I Love My Ducks' going viral, but UO officials still don't like it.". The Oregonian. November 27, 2009. http://blog.oregonlive.com/nwheadlines/2009/11/i_love_my_ducks_going_viral_bu.html. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
External links
Mascots of the Pacific-12 Conference Wilbur and Wilma Wildcat (Arizona) • Sparky the Sun Devil (Arizona State) • Oski (California) • Ralphie the Buffalo / Chip (Colorado) • The Oregon Duck (Oregon) • Benny Beaver (Oregon State) • Stanford Tree (Stanford) (*unofficial) • Joe and Josephine Bruin (UCLA) • Traveler (Southern California) • Swoop (Utah) • Dubs I and Harry the Husky (Washington) • Butch T. Cougar (Washington State)
Categories:- Pacific-12 Conference mascots
- Donald Duck
- Oregon Ducks
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