Harry the Husky

Last updated
Harry the Husky
Harry The Husky.jpg
Previous version of Harry the Husky at Husky Stadium
UniversityUniversity of Washington
Conference Pac-12
DescriptionAnthropomorphic Dog
First seen1995
Related mascot(s) Hendrix the Husky

Harry the Husky is a body-suit mascot for the University of Washington, one of two mascots the university's athletic program currently uses. Hendrix the Husky is Harry's brother that lives at UW Tacoma. [1]

History

The university's first mascot was Sunny Boy, a 3-foot-tall (0.91 m), gold-painted statuette representing an illustration frequently appearing in Columns, which – at the time – was a student-published campus humor magazine (presently Columns is the title of the University of Washington Alumni Magazine). The mascot was introduced in 1921 and retired three years later when it got lost in Bush Auditorium, and the university adopted the nickname "Huskies." [2]

In 1922, the university began using live sled dogs as its mascots, first a non-hereditary line of Siberian Huskies and, beginning in 1961, a hereditary line of Alaskan Malamutes, which are a different breed of dog from the husky. Due to the size of the animals, difficulties of travel, logistics, and handler schedules, the mascots generally only appear at home football games.

In 1995, officials in the university's athletic department commissioned a costume and held tryouts for the new live mascot. Three student performers were chosen (Lee Harris, Evelyn Ho and Chris MacDonald) and rotated duties to appear as a secondary mascot for use at events at which the live mascot was unable to attend. A contest and public vote two years later named the new mascot "Harry the Husky." [3] Coincidentally, the mascot had already been referred to by that name during a scene in The 6th Man , a film starring Marlon Wayans about the University of Washington basketball team, that had been released prior to the vote.

In 2010, the university unveiled a new Harry the Husky costume and retired the old one. The new husky made his debut on October 9, 2010. [4]

Additionally, the university has also hosted a long line of Alaskan Malamutes as mascots. [5] The dogs were originally cared for by the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity; this arrangement was followed by a 49-year tradition (1959–2008) of care by the Cross family (a UW professor, followed by his son). The 14 dogs thus far are as follows:

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. UW news article of Hendrix , Accessed March 14, 2012.
  2. Cloud Of Mystery Shades Sunny Boy , Seattle Times, June 7, 1994, Accessed March 20, 2009.
  3. Our Back Pages: A Dog is Born , Columns, September, 2006, Accessed March 20, 2009.
  4. Here Comes Harry the Husky , YouTube, Accessed October 12, 2010.
  5. "Washington Huskies". Washington Huskies. Retrieved 2021-02-18.