Steal the look: Wisconsin's state animal and mascot

Did you know Bucky Badger is a Libra?

The beloved mascot celebrated his 84th birthday on Oct. 2 , the same day his likeness was copyrighted in 1940. We're celebrating by channeling the badger's iconic look. In recognition of Bucky Badger’s birthday (and the upcoming National Badger Day on Oct. 6), we asked Stillgood’s to curate a modern outfit inspired by both the mascot and the animal.

The outfit the Stillgood's team decided on (shown above) includes nods to the look of the actual animal as well as Bucky Badger’s signature stripes and the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s “Badger Red.”

While Oct. 2 is an accurate birthday for the current iteration of Bucky, the actual introduction of a badger mascot goes back to 1889 , and the original was a live badger.

Either way, Madison made it official before the state of Wisconsin did. Wisconsin has long been known as “The Badger State” thanks to the prominence of lead mining in the nineteenth century — miners would often dig makeshift shelters into the hillside, much like a badger burrows underground. But the state didn’t declare the badger as its official animal until 1957.

Most Wisconsinites assumed the badger was the official state animal before then — the state seal, flag and coat of arms all feature a badger, after all — but it wasn't until a bill was introduced at the request of four Jefferson County elementary school students who called for the animal to be given an official status.

​COPYRIGHT 2024 BY MADISON MAGAZINE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.