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Ready to get your yellow and green Oregon pride on? In this informative article, Averie weaves through the twisting tale of how The University of Oregon became the home of the ducks.
The Evolution of the Oregon Ducks
The Evolution of the Oregon Ducks
By Averie Black
By Averie Black
In 1947, the first Athletics Director for University of Oregon, Leo Harris, conducted the handshake deal that bonded Oregon and Disney for the rest of time, and it all surrounded their mascot– The Duck. Though, it has not always been The Duck grazing Oregon sidelines.
Image by Pixabay
Back in the 1700s, the term ‘webfoot’ was used to describe anyone that lived in wet conditions, but as Californians headed to Oregon and discovered the rainy climate, webfoot became a coined term for Oregonians. The name became popular among the students of U of O, and was soon officially recognized when ‘Webfoot’ was used as the title for the 1902 yearbook. According to the official University of Oregon website, an old The Register-Guard article once stated, “The grounds will be somewhat muddy tomorrow, but that never stops an enthusiastic football player. In fact Webfoot boys would rather play on a muddy field than on one that is dry and solid.” At this time, University of Oregon still was lacking a mascot, despite mascots becoming a common part of university culture. Whether or not they should have a mascot– or if they did, what it should be– became a hot debate among the locals. Various newspapers chimed in the conversation, offering up the Pioneers, the Eagles, and, yes, the Wild Cats. Eventually, they settled on the webfoots, which then became the ducks. However, it was not until a fraternity came up with the tradition of stealing a duck and bringing it on the sidelines that they got a live mascot, which was lovingly deemed Puddles. Puddles remained the mascot until the early 1940s, when the Humane Society got involved, saying it was animal endangerment and putting a stop to Puddles the mascot.
After the fraternity tradition was shut down by the Humane Society, the University of Oregon was in need of a new mascot. As drawings of the new duck started rolling out, there were some concerns about its likeness to the famous Donald Duck. Luckily, it was no problem for Harris, who was a friend of Walt Disney. Thus, the handshake agreement was complete, an entirely undocumented accord that allowed U of O to use Donald Duck. According to John Branch, Pulitzer Prize winner and writer for The New York Times, “Disney told Harris that the university was welcome to use Donald Duck, who debuted in 1934, as the mascot, provided it was in good taste.” After Walt Disney passed away, the new owner of the company questioned Harris about the agreement with the University of Oregon. Since they had no formal, documented deal, the only proof Harris could provide was a photo of himself and Disney in Oregon Duck jackets posing with a live duck. This proved to be enough evidence of the handshake agreement and the two companies worked together to create a document outlining the many rules Disney saw fit.
Though the handshake agreement was in measures, Disney put on strict restrictions. They could only sell merchandise featuring the mascot in the student store and other small shops in the Eugene area. This included, for example, the block ‘O’ being smashed through by The Duck himself. The Duck had also been left out of multiple mascot cameos such as the annual EA Sports NCAA football game because Disney did not see it fit for their brand. In an attempt to create another more usable mascot, in 2002, University of Oregon introduced the Mandrake. This more intimidating version of the Oregon duck was thought up by Nike after the popularity of the players' new uniforms took off. Most Ducks fans took an immediate dislike to the new co-mascot, and Mandrake, also known as Robo Duck, had his last appearance by 2003.
Video Featuring Mandrake's Birth
The first suspension of The Duck happened in 2007. In a game against the Houston Cougars, The Duck can be seen getting into a physical fight with the Cougar mascot. Neither the school nor Disney were happy about this display, which resulted in the student receiving a one-game suspension. The second was in 2009, after U of O was invited back to the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl is an annual college football event that features teams from the PAC-12. Oregon students were so excited about the upcoming game, Supwitchugirl made a music video called I Love My Ducks, featuring students rapping an original song about their football team. Within the video, The Duck can be seen dancing and hanging out with the students, but when the video was publicized on YouTube, Disney was furious. According to Atomic Redhead, a blogger and writer of weird history, “Any appearance of the Duck outside of those specified in the contract had to be approved by Disney in writing, and this video, on the heels of the mascot fight, was the final straw.” In 2010, Disney and U of O put out a statement saying that the Oregon mascot was not Donald Duck, and that the companies would be parting ways. The Oregon Live website states, “Disney acknowledges that the current incarnation of a costumed character featured at the University of Oregon's athletic and promotional events (the Oregon Duck) is not substantially similar to Disney's Donald Duck character.” So The Duck was free from contract and later featured in I Love My Ducks (Return of the Quack).
Video of The Duck Assaulting Shasta the Cougar
The Controversial Music Video
The University of Oregon has gone through many phases when it comes to its name and mascot. From Puddles to Donald Duck to Mandrake to simply “The Duck”, the Oregon mascot has always been a shifting component of the university.
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