While the Wisconsin vs. Oregon football game will hold most fans’ attention, Saturday’s matchup also brings together two of the most recognizable mascots in college football: Bucky Badger and Puddles the Duck.
While Puddles is older, both have a long history at their respective schools and have become cultural icons in college sports beyond football. Whether it be Puddles appearing at Oregon alum Sabrina Ionescu’s wedding earlier this year or Bucky appearing in the “Snyder cut” of “Justice League,” this weekend features a powerhouse versus powerhouse mascot matchup built on a century of history.
In the past, Wisconsin and Oregon have attempted to use live animals as their mascot. A live badger was brought to the sidelines of Wisconsin games during the late 1800s. But the badger was known to be violent and unpredictable and was soon surrendered to the Henry Vilas Zoo. The University of Wisconsin-Madison decided the logical next step was to use a raccoon mascot named Regdab (“Badger” spelled backwards.) Regdab’s tenure was short because he was also an unpredictable live animal — and not a badger.
For the Ducks, the story was much simpler. In the 1920s, a local fraternity’s tradition of catching a live duck somewhere on campus and bringing it to sporting events became mainstream. All ducks were named Puddles, and the campus community became extremely protective of them. Because of this ritual, campus security promised prosecution of anyone who disturbed the ducks. This tradition ended when the Humane Society questioned the school's treatment of live animals in the 1940s.
While the Oregon’s sports teams are now proudly known as the Ducks, it wasn’t always that way. In the early 1920s, some weren't happy about being associated with a duck.
“There is nothing brave, glorious or inspiring about [a duck’s] presence,” Harold Mangum, a Sports Editor for Oregon’s student paper, wrote in 1926.
But Bucky has one thing on Puddles: he’s never been recorded getting into a physical altercation with another school's mascot. Not to say that it’s never happened — I’m sure any UW-Madison student could tell you that Bucky can put up a fight — but it’s never happened on national television.
Puddles is not so lucky.
During Oregon's 2007 season opener, national television caught Puddles in intense beef with the Houston Cougar mascot. Fists flew, chases ensued and at one point, Puddles engaged in what can only be described as a web-footed pile driver. Puddles was suspended for a game because of the incident.
The very first human in a Bucky Badger mascot involved someone wearing a paper mache Bucky head and boxing gloves, showing his readiness to fight for a win. Maybe one day, instead of football, Bucky and Puddles will duke it out for the title of Best College Mascot. For now, we’ll just have to settle for the football showdown on Saturday.
Gabriella Hartlaub is the former arts editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has also written state politics and campus news. She currently is a summer reporting intern with Raleigh News and Observer. Follow her on Twitter at @gabihartlaub.
