Two Indiana Mascots Need Your Vote to Make the Mascot Hall of Fame

Two popular mascots from right here in the Hoosier state have been nominated to enter the Mascot Hall of Hame and they need your vote to make it happen.

The Mascot Hall of Fame also happens to be an Indiana institution. Located in Whiting, Indiana roughly 30 minutes southeast of Chicago on the shore of Lake Michigan, the Hall was founded in 2005 by David Raymond, the original Philly Phanatic, and serves not only as both a tribute to mascots everywhere but also as an interactive children's museum.

Each year, no more than 30 mascots from the world of professional and collegiate sports, as well as "independently performing characters" are selected for induction. Regardless of category, a mascot must have been active for at least 10 years prior to their election, according to the Hall's nomination rules.

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Current Members

The Hall of Fame currently features 20 members, including some from both Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. Blue, mascot for the Indianapolis Colts, went in last year, as did Boomer, the Indiana Pacers mascot. Big Red from Western Kentucky has been a member since 2007, and Benny the Bull, the Chicago Bulls representative, was inducted in 2019.

2021 Nominations

This year, 24 mascots are on the ballot for induction, including two from universities in the western and central part of the state with big fan bases here in the Tri-State.

Both Purdue Pete, the sledgehammer wielding mascot for the Purdue Boilermakers, and Butler Blue, the tail-waggin' mascot of Butler University, are on the ballot to be part of the Hall's class of 2021.

Designed after former Purdue guard Carl Verplank, Pete has been the face of the Purdue Athletics since his first on-field appearance in 1956. Blue on the other hand is far younger, having made its first appearance in 2000 during a men's basketball game. Since then, four English bulldogs have carried the title of Blue, the latest of which is Blue IV. Over the course of their 21-year existence, the Blues have made appearances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, coverage of the annual NCAA Tournament, and appeared in the Netflix docu-series DOGS.

How to Vote

The first round of voting for the 2021 class will take place through the Mascot Hall of Fame website beginning on Sunday, October 3rd, and ending on Saturday, October 9th. The 10 mascots who receive the most votes will move on to the Final Ballot.

Voting on the Final Ballot will begin Sunday, October 17th, and run through Saturday, October 23rd. Any mascot "receiving a score equal to or greater than sixty percent (60%) of the ballots cast shall be elected to membership."

An e-mail address is required to vote and you'll be allowed to vote once per day during both time frames.

[Source: National Mascot Hall of Fame]