Mascot Hall of Fame nominees named
WHITING, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — Mascots from two universities in the Hoosier State have been nominated for the National Mascot Hall of Fame in Whiting. Butler University’s Butler Blue bulldog and Purdue Pete from Purdue University are in the running this year. A total of 23 mascots, both in professional and collegiate sports, have been nominated.
The hall also serves as an interactive children’s museum. The Indianapolis Colts’ Blue and Indiana Pacers’ Boomer were both inducted in 2020.
Voting begins Sunday October 3 and ends Saturday October 9. The 2021 Mascot Hall of Fame inductees will be announced November 5 with the induction ceremony take place next June.
Butler Blue IV has served as Butler’s mascot since January 2020. The university says he has 42,000 followers on Instagram. The school says the live mascot program, and not specifically Butler Blue I, II, III or IV, is nominated. This would be the first live mascot in the Mascot Hall of Fame.
“Butler University’s live mascot program has come a long way since its inception in 2000,” said Evan Krauss, Butler Blue IV’s handler. “It would be a tremendous honor for the program to be inducted as the first live mascot in the Mascot Hall of Fame.”
Purdue Pete has been around much longer, cheering on the Boilermakers. According to a university website, Purdue Pete first ran onto the football field in 1956. However, his heritage can be tracked back to the 1940s when the likeness was used as an advertising logo.
Click here to see the full list of nominees.