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Bobby, a costumed Bearcat mascot
A spirit leader and good will ambassador for Northwest Missouri State University.
A popular character among Northwest fans, Bobby has been on the job for many years.
The Bearcat became Northwest's official mascot in 1916 when the basketball coach at Drury College asked the Northwest coach if he had his "fighting Bearcats" ready for the game. The student body quickly adopted "Bearcats" as the team name. The animal is characterized as a beast that is difficult to hold or capture.
Calling all Bearcat fans 12 years old or younger! Bobby wants you to be part of his exclusive club — Bearcat Buddies!
Arctictis Binturong
The binturong, sometimes called the bearcat, is a member of the civet family. It lives in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, from India to the Malay Peninsula. The binturong is primarily a fruit eater, but also eats insects, fish, small mammals, and birds. The binturong has a long, prehensile tail, which it uses to grasp branches as it forages in the trees. They love bananas and grapes!
They're about six feet long (half body, half tail), weigh about 50 pounds, and have shaggy black fur tipped with gray. And what a face! Small and intense eyes, with dime-sized ears topped by long, furry fringes. Thick, wild whiskers frame a small muzzle, ending in a shiny black nose. They're neither bears nor cats. They're one of two carnivores with a prehensile tail (the other is a kinkajou). One amazing feature of the binturong is a popcorn-like aroma, which comes from a scent gland near its tail.
Let us know why you want to be the mascot and share relevant experience. We look forward to learning more about you.
Prior to Bobby Bearcat, Mike the Dog was Northwest's first mascot. By 1920, however, the "Bearcat" had become the official mascot and athletic logo. The first drawing of Bobby Bearcat was completed in 1927 for Northwest by the Dennison Manufacturing Company of Massachusetts. This first representations of the Bearcat fluctuated between a very realistic like cat to a very realistic like bear. The rendering was applied to labels used to promote school spirit and soon started appearing on luggage, cars and school bags.
Later versions of Bobby Bearcat and the first mascot costume, worn by Coach Vinnie Vaccaro, was created by the Art Department in the late 1960s and made of fiberglass. The next Bobby costume consisted of only a white felt head and mittens fashioned by a local Maryville seamstress.
In the mid-to-late 1970s, Bobby met Betty "Roberta" Bearkitten and married her, making her Betty Bearcat. In the 1980s, Bobby received a makeover with a furry and more huggable costume made of yellow faux fur. In the late 1990s, Bobby while still kid-friendly, became fiercer and was never out of his official Northwest football or basketball uniform.
Now, all University teams use Bobby as their sole mascot, and he remains a proud symbol of school spirit and Northwest's continuing legacy of athletic excellence. He can be seen with the Bearcat Cheerleaders at all home football and basketball games, as well as other sports. Bobby also makes appearances around the community.
