10 Weirdest College Mascots

By   |  July 17, 2010

A school’s mascot is a symbol of pride and unity that students can rally behind. When the mascot takes field at halftime to do his or her dance, students and alumni feel a sense of kinship as they root for their team to trump the opposition in the name of their college. While it is understandable that students feel empowered by a Bulldog, or a Brown Bear, there are some mascots that have no place on any university field of athletics. These mascots are created in the image of giant vegetables, clams and genitalia, yet have somehow become a part of their university’s culture. Today we explore the seven weirest mascots in America.

Rhode Island School Of Design: Scrotie The Nads

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Scrotie is perhaps the most ridiculous mascot ever embraced by a student body. The giant walking penis is awaited by spectators at every university sporting event, and the costume makes sense considering that the teams at the school are also crudely named after male genitalia. The basketball team is known as “The Balls” and the hockey team goes by the name “The Nads.” How these names passed through university administration is beyond us, but they have become a part of school tradition. The basketball cheerleaders even go by the name “The Jockstraps,” since they support The Balls.

University of California-Santa Cruz: Sammy The Banana Slug

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It seems somehow appropriate that a college well known for its pot smoking would select a yellow banana slug for a mascot. Known for his laid back personality and chilled-out dance moves, the banana slug is a mascot that should never have caught on, yet has somehow managed to make quite a name for himself. In 1992, Sports Illustrated magazine named Sammy the Slug the top college mascot, and in 2004 Readers Digest did the same.

Scottsdale Community College: Artie the Fighting Artichoke

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Unlike so many college mascots, Artie the Fighting Artichoke is one with some real history behind him. During the 1970s, the students of Scottsdale Community College were infuriated to learn of the administration’s shady practice of using scholarship money intended for Native American students to bribe athletes into the school. In a school-wide protest, the students voted to change the mascot to something utterly ridiculous that would stay with the school as a badge of shame for years to come. The Fighting Artichoke was the result, and although the administration tried to prevent the decision from going through, here we are in 2010 and the vegetable still makes an appearance at Scottsdale games.

North Carolina School of the Arts: The Fighting Pickle

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Nothing could appear less intimidating than a giant pickle, yet as the result of a costume contest, North Carolina School of Arts has selected a “fighting pickle” as their team mascot. It is said that the pickle was first suggested as a joke, and it isn’t hard to see why. Prancing around in his big green costume and sporting a gap-toothed grin, the fighting pickle can be seen greeting fans and dancing with cheerleaders at the schools many athletic events. Sadly, the pickle seems to represent very little to the school, as the university is not known for producing, nor consuming, especially good pickles.

University of Arkansas at Monticello: The Boll Weevil

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Some schools choose a fierce animal for their mascot in the hopes of frighting other teams. Others choose a mighty knight or a King as a symbol of power and status. The University of Arkansas on the other hand chose a Boll Weevil, a pesky little insect known for damaging crops. It doesn’t say much about your team when the mascot is an insect that is probably being crushed by the players on field during the actual game.

Evergreen State College: Speedy the Geoduck

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For those who have never encountered a Geoduck, this creature is a large mollusk that is famous for its long, suggestive body that protrudes from its shell. Geoducks are the largest burrowing clams in the world, and harvesting them is such a chore that it was recently featured as one of Mike Rowe’s “Dirty Jobs.” The giant dancing clam is often seen shoeless and air boxing on the court, though we’re not sure the display is striking fear into the hearts of opponents. According to FootballBabble.com, the mascot even has a theme song to go with its phallic shapped mascot, and it goes something like “Siphon high, squirt it out, swivel all about, let it all hang out.”

Dartmouth: Keggy The Keg

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Keggy The Keg is the unofficial mascot of Dartmouth. We say unofficial because the administration refuses to accept that a giant dancing keg of beer represents their athletic department, but the students have all but shunned the official mascot of the team and await the arrival of the giant keg each time around. It’s the job of any mascot to tap into the spirit of the school, and what better way to do so than by by getting at everyone’s true reason for being at school: excessive drinking.

About the Author: Kara Taylor writes for Campus Explorer. Campus Explorer believes that given the proper tools, anyone shopping for college education can find the right fit. Campus Explorer is the place to start that great adventure. Find information to start an online education.

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11 Comments on “10 Weirdest College Mascots”  (RSS)

  1. I’m extremely impressed with your writing talents and also with the format in your weblog. Is that this a paid subject or did you modify it yourself? Either way stay up the nice quality writing, it is rare to look a great blog like this one today..

  2. Regarding the Fighting Pickle, I don’t know where the author got, “the fighting pickle can be seen greeting fans and dancing with cheerleaders at the schools many athletic events.” School of the Arts is an arts conservatory. We have neither cheerleaders nor athletic events.

  3. Well I hear anyone with a genital related last name is usually shamed off the ice by the fans, names like Holden and Wilcox to name a few… just sayin.

  4. I’ve heard about these Clam’s. From what I hear they are a class act of well endowed, talented hockey players, ruthless in their will to win.

    Seriously, you should learn to spell seriously.

  5. Scrotie IS a mature p#nis, how else do you think he got so big, you friggin retard. Besides he’s a Nad….as in ” GO NADS!”. What do you expect from a bunch of oversexed artists?

    BY the way, they have fierce rivalry with the Gansette Clams. You should see them go at it!

  6. Seiriously, a penis, how mature.

  7. My school’s mascot is the PRARIE FIRE!

  8. For key tips about college life, check out SurviveMyCollege.com

  9. Great list! How about adding to the list that ridiculously freaky looking “mascot” from Stanford. The Tree!!!

  10. Is just the best being student and also to beocme a teacher.
    the best life, fullfiling!

    Cheers

  11. haha wow. These are just ridiculous lol.

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