CLAIM: Stetson University in DeLand, Florida has long had a mascot, the Hatter.
STATUS: True.
ORIGINS: Stetson students officially became “Hatters” in 1889 when the school decided to recognize the financial contributions of John B. Stetson, the inventor of the cowboy hat. Yes. As you might expect, it's been notoriously difficult to capture the image of a "Fighting Hatter;" a brief examination of administrative efforts to focus on the hat has yielded mixed results.
The first recorded image of Stetson’s Hatter was in fact a green statue placed in the Hat Rack patio in 1959 (photo below). In a prescient stroke of genius, the design committee dyed the statue the exact same shade popularized by Frigidaire’s “Sherwood Green” 1954 refrigerator model (the same model that still stores venison in my grammy’s basement to this day!). Unfortunately, the statue was vandalized and removed in 1967- those music school rapscallions are probably to blame!
It’s also possible that another more legitimate mascot removed the embarrassing statue (bearing more than a passing similarity to a certain cartoon Hatter) in the name of school pride…
 |
| Left: glorified paperweight. Right: magnetic paper holder. |
The earliest images of Stetson’s mascot as a living, breathing entity that could hug you if it had arms are those of a creepy anthropomorphized hat with curiously long eyelashes. Perhaps it stroked student faces with its beautiful lashes instead of hugging? Regardless, students in the 70s had a lot more important things to do than worry about the ferocity of their academic icon, so they didn’t really care that this iteration of the Hatter is known better for providing forehead shade on a sunny day than for trouncing opponents on the athletic field.
 |
| Iconic! |
Like many of us who survived the 1980s, the decade will be remembered more for its regrets (scrunchies; shoulderpads) than its successes, and so it is with the Hatter mascot.
 |
| Oh God...can he see us? |
This walkaround character (let's call him Earl) has the smirk of a car salesman and the arched eyebrows of a city commissioner surprised to find NBC’s Chris Hansen instead of a “bored...home alone” hottie. This is probably why he scared children and was sent to the old mascot’s home in a matter of years.
 |
| Pictures like this haven't dispelled the rumors, Earl. |
The eyed hat reemerged for a Cher-esque farewell tour in the 1990s but his glory days were past; we have no reason to believe he survived Desert Storm.
 |
| Looking *a little* worn here...but still knows the chorus to "Dark Lady." |
The most recent mascot pictured on campus? A corporate shill for chicken sandwiches and waffle fries.
 |
| duPont-Ball Library... and *not* a Hatter |
This has got to change.
All things considered, another individual with Stetson literally flowing through his veins will soon announce his candidacy for university mascot…
Come back tomorrow for more fact-finding from Snopes.com.
All photos provided by Stetson University Digital Archives, http://archives.stetson.edu:8888/index.php
No comments:
Post a Comment