Oski the Bear (Oski) is the official mascot of the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

(" Cal"), representing the California Golden Bears. Named after the

Oski Yell The Oski Yell is the University of California Berkeley spirit yell from which the school’s mascot, Oski the Bear, derives his name. Although Oski appeared in 1941, the yell was first performed around the turn of the 20th century. The yell's orig ...

, he made his debut at a freshman rally in the

Greek Theatre Ancient Greek theatre was a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. The city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, was its centre, where the theatre was ...

on September 25, 1941. Prior to his debut, live bears were used as Cal mascots. Oski's name, design, and character were developed by William “Rocky” Rockwell, who was the first student to play the role, and

Warrington Colescott Warrington Wickham Colescott Jr. (March 7, 1921 – September 10, 2018) was an American artist, he is best known for his satirical etchings. He was a master printmaker and operated Mantegna Press in Hollandale, Wisconsin, with his wife and fello ...

, an editor of ''

The Daily Californian ''The Daily Californian'' (''Daily Cal'') is an independent, student-run newspaper that serves the University of California, Berkeley, campus and its surrounding community. It formerly published a print edition four days a week on Monday, Tuesd ...

'' and famed

satirist This is an incomplete list of writers, cartoonists and others known for involvement in satire – humorous social criticism. They are grouped by era and listed by year of birth. Included is a list of modern satires. Under Contemporary, 1930-196 ...

. Since his debut, Oski's activities have been managed by the ''Oski Committee'', which also appoints a new Oski whenever a replacement is required; Oski's identity is protected by the Committee, and wearers of the suit generally do not disclose their identity. To that end, there may be multiple members of the Committee who wear the suit, depending on their schedules.

References

External links

Oski.com
includes many photos of Oski.
Oski biography
at Official Cal Athletic Site.

discusses the mascot's origin.
Cal Songs
from the Cal Marching Band website. {{Pac-12 Mascots California Golden Bears Pac-12 Conference mascots Fictional bears Bear mascots Mascots introduced in 1941