Big Red (Western Kentucky University)
Big Red is the mascot of Western Kentucky University's sports teams, the "Hilltoppers" and "Lady Toppers". It is a red, furry being created by Ralph Carey in 1979. Big Red is meant to symbolize the spirit of WKU students and alumni as well as the sports teams' nickname, the "Hilltoppers," a name chosen because the school's campus sits atop a hill 232 feet above the Barren River flowing through WKU's home city of Bowling Green. Creation Prior to the start of the 1979 college basketball season, WKU student Ralph Carey volunteered to create a mascot for the school's sports teams. It was hoped a mascot would generate enthusiasm and supplement the iconic red towels waved by fans in the stands. Carey said he wanted to create something unique that stayed as far away as possible from the stereotype many have of Kentuckians. Although he liked the antics of the San Diego Padres' chicken mascot and initially sketched a bear wearing a sweater emblazoned with the letter "W", he ultimately decided not to use a known animal or entity. Carey eventually presented the sketch of a red, furry blob-like mascot concept to a committee which included future university president Gary Ransdell. When asked what the character should be called, Carey suggested 'Big Red' as an acknowledgement of the nickname given to WKU sports teams. The concept was approved. After some refinement, Carey constructed the first Big Red costume by hand. – It consisted of "air conditioner foam, fake fur, plastic tubing and aluminum framing". The materials cost was roughly $300 –. Carey then performed in the suit he created when Big Red debuted at a home basketball game on December 1, 1979, in WKU's E.A. Diddle Arena. Carey graduated in 1980. The suit was then handed down to fellow student Mark Greer. Greer was the first to portray the character at a WKU football game in the fall of that year. Historically, tryouts for students who want to portray Big Red are held in April of each year. The university library maintains an archive of every student who has portrayed the character. When a WKU student who portrayed Big Red graduates, they are allowed to wear the Big Red "gloves" on graduation day to let people know they were a WKU mascot. Description According to WKU's branding guide, Big Red is neither male nor female. It must always be red and display "WKU" – the abbreviation for Western Kentucky University – on the front. The character cannot talk, but Mark Greer, the second person ever to portray Big Red, noted, "It’s a very funny suit. ... It can make expressions where most mascots have one stupid expression on their face at all times. Big Red can show emotion like no other mascot." The character's signature moves are the belly slide and the belly shake. The Bowling Green Daily News, the paper of record in WKU's home city, described Big Red as the "amorphous, ambiguous, asexual and always lovable representative of the