SLU Seeks Feedback on New Mascot Costume

This week, Saint Louis University President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., posted another humorous video on his Twitter account related to the redesign of the Billiken mascot costume.

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In the video — a parody of political campaign speeches — Pestello encourages members of the Saint Louis University community, as well as Billiken fans everywhere, to take a brief online poll to give their input on the eyes, hair style, mouth and color of the new costume.

Within just 24 hours of the video’s release, more than 11,500 “votes” had been cast in the poll. Pestello’s post, which was shared widely on social media, also caught the attention of multiple local news outlets, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Like last month’s video, which featured Pestello soliciting advice on the new mascot from animals at the Saint Louis Zoo, this latest clip was created in-house by SLU’s Division of Marketing and Communications.

Based on response to a new mascot costume that was unveiled on Sept. 20, Pestello said the University would revisit the design and would seek additional feedback. Although SLU is pursuing changes to the costume, it’s important to note that the award-wining new Billiken logo, which launched last fall, will not change.

The mascot costume poll is open through Sunday, Nov. 6. You can only take the survey once. Note, the first question will ask if you think SLU should keep the new costume that debuted in September to less-than-positive reviews. If you answer “yes,” the survey ends. If you select “no,” you’ll have an opportunity to weigh in on the mascot’s various features.