Something Rotten in the State of Minnesota

Who is Goldy Gopher? The simple answer to the question is that since 1952 Goldy has been the mascot of the University of Minnesota. Goldy appears at more than 1000 events every year, including virtually every university home game. In 2004 Goldy made the Capital One All-American Mascot Team. He has also competed in the UCA Mascot National Championships for years, regularly making the top 10. In 2005 Goldy had his best year to date, placing 3rd in the country. Goldy is not only the mascot of the University of Minnesota, but represents all of Minnesota which is known as the “Gopher State.”

But do we really know who Goldy Gopher is? Can we even be sure Goldy is in fact a gopher? In a recent comparison study done between Goldy and several members of the rodent family, including the gopher, it was concluded that Goldy in fact bears the least resemblance to the gopher. An apparent hybrid between a squirrel and beaver, it is impossible to tell exactly what Goldy is. Perhaps this is because the artist who first drew Goldy did not even know what a gopher looks like.

Goldy has long prided himself on his ties to the community and family connection to the State of Minnesota. He often boasts that most of his family still resides at the State Fair. However, when asked to comment on Goldy’s ambiguous origins his family was completely silent on the issue. What is one to make of such defensive posturing?

Goldy may have made it close to the very top of the mascot profession, but by what means and at what cost? In a society that places value on success at any cost Goldy has sacrificed everything in his bid for mascot supremacy, even his own identity. It is time we recognize that the ends do not always justify the means. Can we really allow this gopher to represent the mascots of an entire nation?

This message supported by the Bucky Badger for UCA Mascot of the Year campaign.