Is our mascot, Yosef, a problematic caricature of Appalachia, or a representation of mountaineer spirit? 

Since 1942, when the staff of The Rhododendron, the university’s yearbook, penciled in a drawing of “Dan’l Boone Yoseff” in some extra space, our mascot has been the embodiment of App State pride and represented what it means to be a mountaineer. Since the early 1950s, students have brought Yosef to life, at first in a fashion reminiscent of Daniel Boone, and eventually moving towards the cartoonish yet fierce character we are familiar with today. 

Yet how many of us ask: where does the imagery of Yosef come from? Although we celebrate Yosef’s image, we should be aware of the more nuanced dimensions of his appearance. In fact, our mascot shares similarities with some old and outdated stereotypes of Appalachia. 

Since the end of the Civil War, "outsiders" have been fascinated with the people and land of Appalachia. From travel writers who wanted to portray the region as a mystical land populated by people who had not changed since the early days of the frontier, to well-meaning but problematic social scientists who claimed there was something about Appalachian culture that made residents poverty-prone, there are countless stereotypes and generalizations about Appalachian people. 

One popular stereotype is the hillbilly, characterized by a sense of “backwardness” and old-fashioned manners of dress and speech. The iconography of Yosef mirrors similar hillbilly caricatures from throughout the Upland South (which is Appalachia, the Ozarks, and the plateaus in-between— yes, there are other Southern Mountains!) For instance, look at the similarities between our mascot and “hillbilly” representation of Arkansas! 

Of course, we must remember that drawing inspiration from Upland South heritage is not necessarily bad. Additionally, tastes and acceptable imagery change over time. Yosef himself has gone through nmerous revisions, for example the loss and re-addition of his pipe or how students at a 1953 pep rally depicted the mascot with a gun. Although there are problems to be aware of when drawing inspiration from Daniel Boone and hillbilly imagery, the figure of Yosef also shows strength and pride in representing Appalachia. This is perhaps the most important point: Yosef is an Appalachian mascot made to represent an Appalachian university.  Perhaps Yosef’s appearance is a way to take control of the narrative by letting the community define what it means to be an Appalachian Mountaineer. There is no one-size-fits-all interpretation of any of us, including our mascot. After all, he reminds us to “be Yo’seff.”