Sparky (Arizona State Mascot)

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Sparky the Sun Devil
Sparky the Sun Devil

Sparky is the official mascot of Arizona State University. Originally the ASU athletic teams mascot was an owl that was later changed to a bulldog before finally becoming the Sun Devil in 1946. ASU students voted for the new mascot. Two years later an alumnus and Disney illustrator by the name of Bert Anthony designed Sparky, an imp with a pitch fork, some say in Walt Disney's image as retribution for being fired by Walt Disney.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Orange Julius beverage stands used the image of a devil with a pitch fork around an orange. The company later dropped the logo after threats of a lawsuit from the alumni association.