University prepares to update Purdue Pete mascot
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University is assessing how sports mascot Purdue Pete should be modernized for the 21st century.
"Purdue Pete has undergone numerous changes in his history, and it's been at least 25 years since Pete has been updated, so we are exploring how we can improve the mascot's look," said Morgan Burke, director of Intercollegiate Athletics. "We are studying the matter, and a new design has not been selected yet."
Retired versions of Purdue Pete, as well as other Purdue images such as the Boilermaker Special, are preserved through a university program that stores and licenses vintage university logos. The program, called The Vault, is operated through Collegiate Licensing Co. and works with 180 universities.
"The Vault program is very popular, especially now because there is a rebirth in vintage and antique designs," Burke said. "If there is a lot of alumni interest in an older image, then a retailer can work through Collegiate Licensing Co. on our behalf and other manufacturers to produce appealing merchandise. The current version of Purdue Pete will continue to be available on select merchandise."
Purdue plans to redesign the mascot with student input and unveil the new look later this year. This will be the mascot's sixth makeover. Funds for the redesign will come from the operations budget of the Office of Trademarks and Licensing. These funds are self-sustaining and involve no state tax dollars or student fees.
No redesigns are planned for Purdue's official mascot, which is the Boilermaker Special, a replica of a Victorian-era locomotive.
Pete got his start in 1940 as an advertising icon for the University Bookstore, and he continues in that role. He then appeared in other places in 1944, when editors of the Debris yearbook put an adapted Pete on each page. Purdue Pete debuted on the football field in 1956 with a papier-mâché head and a bit of padding. Today, Pete's head is crafted from composite materials such as glass fibers and resin in an aviation technology lab. In addition to the head, the four students who portray Pete wear shoulder pads and carry a hammer.
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Source: Morgan Burke, 765-494-3189, mjb@purdue.edu
Related Web site:
Purdue Pete History