Keggy the Keg
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Keggy the Keg is an unofficial mascot of Dartmouth College, created in the fall of 2003.
After dropping the mascot of the Indian in 1971, Dartmouth had no official mascot.[1] Dartmouth continued to be known by its nickname of "The Big Green," but, citing the ambiguity, lack of dynamism, and intangibility of having no mascot, the Dartmouth Student Assembly proposed a student poll in spring 2003 to decide upon a new mascot. While the Moose came in first in this poll,[2] many students remained dissatisfied with the choice. Students involved at the Jack-O-Lantern humor magazine expressed interest in creating a mascot that "wasn't racist, biased or sexist, yet [was] entirely unacceptable."[3] In an effort to force the administration into adopting a truly interesting mascot, they created Keggy, an anthropomorphic keg that reflects the controversial culture of drinking at the College.
Keggy subsequently received media attention beyond the College, both at other Ivy League newspapers[4] and also on such national media outlets as ESPN's Pardon the Interruption,[5] Playboy magazine,[6] and CollegeHumor.[7]
Shortly after Keggy's introduction in 2003, a group of students stole the Keggy costume from its home in the Sigma Nu fraternity library and sent threatening notes to Keggy's creators, including photographs of the mascot bound and gagged with one black eye.[8] Some thought this to be a publicity stunt by the creators, but the mascot had truly been stolen. Keggy was eventually returned with minor damage to the costume.[9]
At Dartmouth's 2005 Winter Carnival celebration, students named the snow sculpture of a large ship Captain Keggy's Carnival Cruiser.
In early 2006, College officials denied Keggy entrance to a sold-out hockey game, prompting a Jack-O-Lantern-penned editorial in The Dartmouth condemning the incident;[10] the Jack-O-Lantern website alleged "anti-keg racism."[11] A similar incident occurred in October 2006 when Keggy was not permitted on the field at halftime of the Homecoming football, again resulting in further complaints in The Dartmouth[12] and on the Jack-O-Lantern website.[13]
[edit] References
- ^ "The Indian and the Rock" by Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The Dartmouth Review, November 17, 1998.
- ^ "Moose tops mascot survey" by Jessica Spradling, The Dartmouth, May 23, 2003.
- ^ "Jacko mascot 'Keggy' wins many Dartmouth fans" by Steven Orbuch, The Dartmouth, November 4, 2003.
- ^ "Around the Ivies", Yale Herald
- ^ Video coverage on Pardon the Interruption, hosted by the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern.
- ^ Mascots Talk Back: Keggy by Antonia Simigis, Playboy.
- ^ "Dartmouth College's newest mascot... Keggy the Keg", CollegeHumor, November 5, 2003.
- ^ "Jacko receives threatening email" by Steven Orbuch, The Dartmouth, December 5, 2003.
- ^ "Still on tap: Keggy returned" by Jenn Buck, The Dartmouth, December 10, 2003.
- ^ "Consider the Plight of Keggy" by Cole Entress, The Dartmouth, February 22, 2006.
- ^ "Keggy Blog: February 11, 2006", Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern.
- ^ "Weekend proceeds with fifteen arrests" by Dane Schlossberg, The Dartmouth, October 16, 2006.
- ^ "Keggy Blog: Homecoming 2006: October 13-14, 2006", Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern.
