Inspired by a t-shirt design contest, Grace Edwards wanted to make fun merch to represent Badger pride. A consumer behavior and marketplace studies major, Edwards saw the opportunity and, along with her own passion, her #BadgerDoodles quickly caught the admiration of many.
Starting with an adorable Chemistry Badger, she now endeavors to create a doodle for as many majors as she can. Edwards posts her badger designs on the popular social media platforms YikYak and Reddit and has her own virtual storefront.
Edwards sat down with The Daily Cardinal to talk about #BadgerDoodles and her mission to make affordable merchandise.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Your art precedes you, but can you talk a little about yourself, the artist?
I’m from a small town in Wisconsin called Wausau. I grew up there and spent a lot of time as a kid running around outside, playing with chalk on the sidewalk and catching all the animals that I could. I have a special affinity for toads in particular.
Aside from art, I’m really into hiking, and I love the National Parks. I also have a lot of houseplants — 13 as of right now — that are gradually overtaking my living room. I’ve been artistic since I was a little kid, but I started taking it a little more seriously at 17.
How did #BadgerDoodles come about?
It was initially [for] the School of Human Ecology t-shirt design contest. I had this idea in my head for different majors, and I started thinking about the Letters and Science shirts — the university ones are pretty traditional and all red. I don’t really do red. My favorite colors are muted pastels.
Then, I came up with this whole idea of a little badger with chemistry goggles on, so that was the first one: a badger doing an experiment with goggles on.
Your art became popular on YikYak. What was that experience like?
People were actually being really cool to me on YikYak. I love how targeted YikYak is. I can talk directly to people that are roughly my age and are students. They were telling me all the different trademarks and linking me stuff. I researched a lot. Nothing I do now for my merch violates the [Bucky] trademark, as long as it doesn't look like Bucky.
Your website lists sweatshirts for $25, significantly below the usual $40-$50 range. Is affordability key for you?
Yes, because I’m a college student! I want people to actually be able to get these and enjoy them. I wanted to make something that was more accessible. I like things that are wearable.
So you’re not in this for profit?
No, I wouldn’t say it’s super financially [lucrative]. For the stickers, I make close to nothing on them because I just want people to have them. The crewnecks and t-shirts help a little with gas and electric bills. I also have a pet snake, so I buy it a rat every now and then.
I have a job, it’s not a profit venture for me. I actually finally got a sweatshirt for myself; it’s coming in the mail. I deserve it.
What’s the creative process like for each of your doodles?
A lot of people suggest majors, and honestly, I don’t know what they are. Usually, I’ll just look up the major and look for stock clipart.
One that I didn’t really know anything about was health equity. I researched it, and there’s a scientific part and advocating for laws. My ultimate goal is that somebody who's in that major would be able to look at it and see the little inside jokes for them.
How long does each #BadgerDoodle take you?
It totally depends: [at] shortest, 20 minutes. [At] longest, hours.
I really struggled with the neurobiology one. I had no idea what to do about that. I was like, brains! I made a lot of different versions that I hated. I settled on one that I was not super sure about, but I just posted it and asked, “How are we feeling about this?” and people really liked it! So I’m really happy I hit the right cord.
What’s your favorite #BadgerDoodle?
My favorite BadgerDoodle is whichever one I just finished, usually, but most probably the one I made for my own major — the consumer behavior marketplace studies one. He’s got different colored shopping bags, just carrying them on his tail. It’s very cute.
Do you get negative comments?
I have gotten hate comments, actually, on both YikYak and Reddit — mostly people giving me [unsolicited] advice on how I can do my drawings better, like, “Actually, that’s not how badgers look.” And I know! I can google a badger too! Contrary to popular belief, I’m not going for scientific accuracy. They're just supposed to be silly and funny.
I’ve gotten private messages saying that they’re not right or bad. It’s pretty funny, I respond to everything with kindness, and usually they feel bad and remove their comment. Kill them with kindness, it really does work.
Do you see yourself doing this long-term?
That’s the dream. It’s honestly surreal that anybody cares. I’ve been putting stuff out like this for a really long time. Before BadgerDoodles, I did Toads on Roads, a series of art I did with smiling toads.
A small mom-and-pop boutique would be amazing; [I could] do TikTok Lives, I [could] give away stickers. That’s my longtime dream. I just love seeing my art places, and by far the most rewarding thing is that people want to wear it. It is really a dream come true for me and so dang affirming.
What do you have to say to your fans?
It’s really cool seeing people rally behind me like this. It’s just been amazing, and they don’t know anything about me personally. I’m just BadgerDoodles, and I kind of prefer going by that. It’s been surreal, and I’ve been so thankful for it. I just want to say thank you for everything — it’s been one of the best things that has happened to me in a long time.
