Wisconsin football 2020 opponent preview: Purdue Boilermakers. "[6], In 2010, Disney and the university reached an agreement that removed the costumed Oregon Duck mascot from its association with the Donald trademark, and allowed The Duck to make more public appearances, such as at college mascot competitions. Others fall into the lowest crevasse in Uncanny Valley and scare the shit out of people. However, the name Puddles is still used to this day as an unofficial nickname of the school’s duck mascot. Coming off the 2002 Fiesta Bowl and a consensus No. Speaking of... if Donald Duck never wears pants, why is it that he wraps a towel around his waist when he gets out of the shower? [1][2][4], Beginning in 1940, cartoon drawings of Puddles in student publications began to resemble Donald Duck, and by 1947, Walt Disney was aware of the issue. However, in March of 2017 the basketball team played Oregon State in the hardwood version of the civil war and the players donned shooting shirts that depicted the Duck and OSU’s mascot as Rockem Sockem Robots, with the Duck winning the fight, by making the beavers head pop up. [1][3][4], Ducks, with their webbed feet, began to be associated with the team in the 1920s, and a live white duck named "Puddles" began to appear at sports events. By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy. You can do all of that lipstick, but if your product, if what you're putting on the field isn't successful, it doesn't matter what it looks like. [6] The mascot in graphic art, which is more similar to Donald Duck than the rounder head and body of the costume, is still covered by the trademark agreement. He writes about books, history, and comics. He looked extreme. However, not everyone associated with the university was on board with the decision, including the school’s football coach Jerry Frei (1967-71). Feb 22, 2016 - Explore Patrick Brand's board "Roboduck" on Pinterest. RoboDuck. Around the same time Oregon and Disney distanced itself from its handshake agreement, Mandrake was born. Were the Ducks trying too hard to be cool? Mandrake was last seen on April 1st, 2013, when Oregon (jokingly) announced that they'd be bringing him back. I was at Oregon when Mandrake (or RoboDuck, as he was also called) debuted, and a member of the Athletic Department Finance Committee. [8], A Nike-designed futuristic Spandex-costume-wearing duck called Mandrake (and nicknamed "Duck Vader" and "RoboDuck" by the student body), began appearing at athletic events in 2002,[5] but had disappeared by 2003. "It either becomes an incredible moment or a colossal fail and that's the tough part, is you can do all of the prep work, all the uniform branding, all of the construction, all of the facilities upgrade. Even if there’s a fire!


Late in the 2009 season, students of the university created a video, I Love My Ducks, in which The Duck made an appearance. (I was a big dork who was involved in student government.) The back of the shirt says “Puddles vs. Benny.” The school’s official response was that someone at Nike, the school’s apparel provider made the decision to refer to the duck as Puddles. The Ducks followed up arguably the best season in program history with some mediocre seasons going 7-6 in 2002, 8-5 in 2003, and 5-6 in 2004. [6], During the 2007 season opener, The Duck got into a fistfight with Shasta, the mascot for the Houston Cougars, for seemingly mimicking the Duck's routine of doing push-ups after the mascot's team scores. While terrifying in appearance... (especially when you consider that its nearly 5-foot-tall), it’s actually a kind creature, proven by the fact that one was photographed picking up a duck and moving it, out of its way. Also, because he didn't look like Donald, the university would have more liberty to use the new mascot in merchandising. However, by that time, the video had "gone viral" and coach Chip Kelly requested the video be played at the Ducks' final game of that season, the Civil War.

The ducks, of course, have one of the most amiable and jolly of all college mascots: Rather than having something pointy, ferocious, or clichéd like a wildcat or wolf or banana slug, the University of Oregon’s mascot is the lovable, cantankerous Donald Duck. Harris was able to produce a picture of himself and Disney shaking hands with Disney wearing an Oregon Letterman's jacket. The point of Mandrake, they said, was to appeal to young boys and start a whole new generation of Duck fans. [RELATED]: The moment Phil Knight fell out of his chair and changed Oregon history, [RELATED]: The Times Square billboard of Joey Harrington had nothing to do with him, [RELATED]: Oregon's chrome helmets at the 2012 Rose Bowl were very controversial, Roboduck showed Oregon it may have tried too hard to reinvent itself originally appeared on NBC Sports Northwest, 2020 NHL draft live stream: How to watch Sharks' pick online, on TV, Kyle Shanahan admires 49ers' secondary for battling through injuries, Why Patriots' loss to Chiefs was the opposite of a moral victory, Why Bill Belichick didn't challenge blown call in Patriots-Chiefs, Local 5-star tackle Tristan Leigh presented with All-American Bowl jersey, Eagles' Malik Jackson goes viral for genius veteran move on Sunday Night Football, Tottenham can win the Premier League this season, says former manager Harry Redknapp, 20 Photos That Prove Prince William Is A Lucky Man, Brian Hoyer finally pulled by Patriots for Jarrett Stidham, who immediately gets first career TD pass, The Rush: No Cam Newton, no chance for the Patriots in 26-10 loss to Chiefs, Aaron Rodgers hilariously celebrates TD alone in 'Monday Night Football' matchup with Falcons, Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth seem unhappy officials 'compelled' them to wear masks on SNF, Roboduck showed Oregon it may have tried too hard to reinvent itself.
[3] In 1978, a student cartoonist came up with a new duck image called Mallard Drake, but students chose Donald as the official mascot by a 2–to–1 margin. Phil Knight and the University of Oregon badly wanted the Ducks to be a nationally known, marketable team, and Mandrake was what they were going to use to sell it. Then, when Chip Kelly took over the program in 2009 he led Oregon to four consecutive BCS Bowls including an appearance in the BCS National Championship. No branding gimmick is more infamous than Roboduck, however.

[1][2][4], When Disney lawyers later questioned the agreement in the 1970s, the university produced a photo showing Harris and Disney wearing matching jackets with an Oregon Donald logo. Nos partenaires et nous-mêmes stockerons et/ou utiliserons des informations concernant votre appareil, par l’intermédiaire de cookies et de technologies similaires, afin d’afficher des annonces et des contenus personnalisés, de mesurer les audiences et les contenus, d’obtenir des informations sur les audiences et à des fins de développement de produit. However, the Humane Society repeatedly complained about a live duck attending games, so the tradition ended in the 1940s. I refuse to call him The Duck, not even if there’s a fire. After a hectic weekend of college football, the Badgers moved up in the rankings. (I …

2 ranking in the nation, Oregon appeared to be on top of the (college football) world. Roboduck was not only a hard sell, he was an impossible sell. "We kept trying to like, add more and more reasons why, even if we had a little bit of a down year, there's still something cool about it," iconic Nike designer Tinker Hatfield told NBC Sports NW. Thank you and we are truly grateful for your support. Instead, it was known as Webfeet or Webfooters. Leo Harris, Oregon’s first athletic director, struck a deal with Walt Disney in 1947, sealed with a handshake. [2][5] Relying on the photo as evidence of Disney's wishes, in 1973, both parties signed a formal agreement granting the university the right to use Donald's likeness as a symbol for (and restricted to) Oregon sports. Is that you draw all this attention to yourself and then once you have the eyeballs, what do you do?" An Athletic Department representative told us, a bunch of whiny twentysomethings who missed our familiar cartoon character, that Mandrake was not for us. https://sports.yahoo.com/roboduck-showed-oregon-may-tried-230241313.html Takedown Policy, a 1947 handshake agreement with Walt Disney, Good Afternoon, News: Superspreader Trump Released, Bad News for Wheeler, and Infected GOP Dying for Supreme Court Vote, Portland Voting Questions Answered: Voting While Houseless, Felonies and Voting Rights, and More. A large egg appeared on the field and once it cracked, out popped a jacked alien-esque duck, which proved to be a sidekick to the Duck, as it was not limited by its size like the Duck was and he was able to do more acrobatic moves like back flips. Except for that one time in 2002 when the Oregon Ducks decided to adopt a newer, sleeker, less huggable mascot named Mandrake, who looked like what would happen if the Green Goblin fucked Howard the Duck. See more ideas about Oregon ducks, Oregon ducks football, University of oregon. During the down years, Nike kept trying to innovate to capture the attention of the youth and in turn the nation. Puddles is one of America's most liked mascots and Rododuck was terrifying. Mandrake did backflips and rode a motorcycle. So yeah, that was another big transitional moment for this program because they were in danger of becoming irrelevant again.". Pour autoriser Verizon Media et nos partenaires à traiter vos données personnelles, sélectionnez 'J'accepte' ou 'Gérer les paramètres' pour obtenir plus d’informations et pour gérer vos choix.

Luckily for us Duck fans, on April 1st, 2013, Oregon tweeted out that the Mandrake would be returning as the official co-mascot of the Ducks.

It was back in 2002 that out of a giant car-sized egg in the west endzone of Autzen Stadium, RoboDuck appeared. Whether you call him Puddles, Donald, or The Duck, it’s clear that he has a special place in the hearts of both those associated with Oregon and others around the country. Informations sur votre appareil et sur votre connexion Internet, y compris votre adresse IP, Navigation et recherche lors de l’utilisation des sites Web et applications Verizon Media. "So, this duck and I'm using air quotes right now bursts out of this egg and it's doing all these acrobatic moves like flips and twists and plays and everyone's like, ooh and ah, this is kind of cool," said Jordan Kent. Roboduck was hatched during a victory over Stanford in 2003. I don’t blame them for keeping ducks, those other names are garbage... Is Oregon's mascot Donald Duck? RoboDuck. Going for the knockout. Mandrake last appearance was at a 2003 basketball game, and since then Puddles/Donald has been the only duck for Oregon. The mascot wears a green and yellow costume, and a green and yellow beanie cap with the word "Oregon" written on it. Roboduck preformed at many University of Oregon athletic events, such as basketball games, doing acrobatic trampoline dunks and pumping up the crowd. It was too futuristic, ahead of its time and wasn’t nearly cuddly enough. Calling him “The Duck” seems like an insult. I was at Oregon when Mandrake (or RoboDuck, as he was also called) debuted, and a member of the Athletic Department Finance Committee. (I … "That became a different problem for us that we had in recruiting.". 284 likes. Now more than ever, The Portland Mercury depends on your support to help fund our coverage. Most fans were unsure on how to feel about the duck. responded Joey Harrington remembering the era of Oregon football shortly after he left for the NFL.

Privacy Policy | Bro, you can’t beat Disney, its everywhere... One student even went as far as to say that, “if that sleazy Duck makes it, I’m going to OSU (Oregon State University).”. The introduction of the secondary duck gave Oregon the opportunity to have a licensed mascot, given that Disney owned its primary mascot. Wisconsin football: the Badgers climb in the polls despite not playing.

Originally, the University of Oregon did not go by the Ducks. The Oregon Duck is the mascot of the University of Oregon Ducks athletic program, based on Disney's Donald Duck character through a special license agreement. Purdue was extremely young last year. Some creative ideas still live today helping sell the Oregon program. Terms of Use | Listen to the full episode here and Subscribe to "Sports Uncovered" for free wherever you listen to podcasts. Let’s just hope, for Oregon’s sake, they don’t try and roll out another jacked duck-like creature in the future... Why your mascot sucks: University of Oregon, Wisconsin football: Graham Mertz is taking first team reps at quarterback.