Mascots Unmasked

Though we can’t lay claim to the state’s most distinctive higher ed icon, the Banana Slugs of UC Santa Cruz, Southern California boasts its share of offbeat mascots. Pomona-Pitzer College’s Cecil the Sage Hen, for example, whips fans into a chirping frenzy, and J.P., the Whittier College Poet, wriggles like a caterpillar after touchdowns. Other standouts:

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School: Pepperdine University Waves

Mascot nickname: King Neptune

The scoop: Even in their first home at Vermont and 79th, Pepperdine students called themselves the Waves. A scary papier-mache head named Roland gave way to Willie the Wave, described as a cross between a Smurf and a banana. Willie morphed into a giant head, a la Bob’s Big Boy. Three years ago, King Neptune took over.

Who’s inside: Cassandra Perez, a junior sports medicine major.

Close call: Trying to maneuver off the court after a bandanna slipped over her eyes.

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School: Caltech Beavers

Mascot nickname: All those Nobel Prizes and still no nickname!

The scoop: Like their mascot--nature’s engineer--Caltech students are usually too busy to indulge in sports-related dress-up. But every once in a while, someone hauls out the bedraggled beaver costume.

Who’s inside: “A student wore it once this year,” says Wendell Jack, Caltech’s director of athletics. “One of the beaver’s feet was falling off.”

Close call: None yet, but that missing foot is an accident waiting to happen.

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School: UC Irvine Anteaters

Mascot nickname: Peter

The scoop: Johnny Hart’s B.C. comic strip inspired both the anteater and the school’s battle cry: “Zot!” Peter recently had a nip and tuck designed to make him more “lean and mean,” says a UCI staffer.

Who’s inside: Geoff Chau, a sophomore computer engineering major.

Signature move: “Touching my toes,” says Chau. “Not many guys have that kind of flexibility, especially in a 40-pound anteater suit.”

Close call: Accidentally winging kids across the room with his tail.