By: Sarah Woodhams
To bee or not to bee? That was the question asked in a lawsuit filed last month by the Georgia Institute of Technology on behalf of their mascot, Buzz the Yellow Jacket, alleging trademark infringement against UR’s Rocky mascot.
Up until recently, Georgia Tech had an agreement with UR that allowed the two yellowjackets to coexist peacefully. They have been litigious in the past, suing a minor league baseball team in Salt Lake City due to their name (the Buzz) and their mascot (an intimidating yellowjacket), and shutting down the dreams of a Maryland high school who wanted to paint their “Swarmin’ Hornet” mascot on a town water tower.
Buzz had time on his side, being the official Georgia Tech mascot since 1980. Rocky only took over from UR’s previous mascot, URBee, in 2008, in an effort to highlight the school’s “aggressive” athletics (in addition to the scourge of actual yellowjackets that blanket River Campus every fall).
The judge was also impressed by Buzz’s “mischievous” side, truly embodying the role of a yellowjacket in the natural world. Buzz is known for his antics including crowd surfing, stealing concessions, and climbing over and around the stadium in addition to his many pranks. The nail in the coffin for Rocky was when Buzz whipped out his signature dance move — shaking his stinger.
Rocky fell to his knees in the courtroom as the judge banged her gavel –– to retirement Rocky must go.
“It’s been an incredibly rewarding 16 years serving the University of Rochester community,” Rocky shared through tears. “I knew I was taking a risk when I started here, and I would do it all over again.”
As an interim solution, the University is bringing back URBee, a rounder and more cheerful looking mascot.
“Given the University’s more recent successes in the athletics world, we realized we don’t really need a mascot as muscular as Rocky,” University President Sarah Mangelsdorf shared, trying her best to spin the loss when questioned. “Under my ‘One University’ vision, we need to account for all of our students, not just the undergraduate athletes.”
She added: “We have thousands of graduate students, toiling away in a lab or crafting the perfect LinkedIn strategy, not to mention all of the undergraduates who rotate between their dorm, the Pit, and Gleason every day. Does Rocky represent them? I don’t think so. Bringing URBee back provides our institution with a wonderful opportunity to clarify and communicate our mission, values, and purpose.”
URBee is excited for the opportunity to return this April, bringing back some much needed charm and levity to campus as students head deeper into exam season.
“I’m just here to have a good time,” they said. “It’s been a lonely past 16 years, so I’m going to make the most of it while I can.”
Woodhams is so done with InDesign.
