Amidst the sea of red that culminates during football season, there is a clear leader that guides students into their most spirited selves. That spirit is none other than… a badger?

The choice of mascot wasn’t because of the mammal’s appeal but rather a nod to the history of hard-working Wisconsinites. According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the state proclaimed itself the “Badger State” because of the 19th-century lead miners who’d live like badgers, digging temporary shelters into hillsides to survive brutal winters. Over the decades, that hard-working spirit hardened into the now mascot, Bucky the Badger.

As a beloved mascot, Bucky brings an undeniable amount of energy to Wisconsin traditions like Jump Around or the Fifth Quarter, but that is just a fraction of what makes Bucky, Bucky.

Like many busy college students, Charles sometimes waits to do his laundry until the late hours of the night. Unlike many students, he goes downstairs to grab his Bucky the Badger uniform out of the washer, only to find himself almost getting caught by a fellow student. 

There are many responsibilities that come along with living a double life, but Charles Yisrael wouldn’t want it any other way. Whether it was weddings, sporting events, or local fundraisers, he says he loved it all.

Charles grew up outside of Madison and is an incoming senior at the University of Wisconsin. Attending Wisconsin felt less like a decision and more like an inheritance, and as a long-term Badger fan, it feels as though he was born to be Bucky. 

“Wisconsin was kind of the backbone, and I guess the religion of my family,” he says. 

Bucky acts as a team, but the image and character of Bucky acts as one. Students go through a three-day tryout process in late spring, and those who make the team start immediately, gearing up for the busy and demanding fall season.

“If you make the team, you’re thrown right into it,” Charleses says. “There’s never really a period where you get to sit back and do some introspection and kind of grasp the immensity of what you’re doing.” 

Taking on the role of Bucky is a massive commitment. Charles worked hard to maintain a 15-credit course load while diving into the full-time role of Bucky. “It’s not a job, it’s kind of a lifestyle, as cliche as that sounds,” Charles says.

It wasn’t until after he left the team that the weight of the role really sank in. “I don’t think it really kicked in until afterwards,” he says, “when I realized the role — and I guess posture — that Bucky plays at UW.” 

But Charles is quick to take the credit away from himself and onto the students in the stands. 

“Bucky wants to be a part of the student section, he wants to be an extension of the joyous crowd,” Charles says.. “He wants to blend in and be a student.”

If there’s a part of the job that doesn’t get talked about enough, he says, it’s the small, quiet events — fundraisers for special needs and adaptive programs, or visits to elementary schools tucked into rural Wisconsin. 

“Being able to cater to those kinds of demographics has been so rewarding,” he says. “Every time I’d leave one of those, I’d be so much more enthusiastic than after a football game, just because you know the impact you left was a lasting one.”

Identity secrecy is baked into the role, and Charles says it’s part of what makes it fun. Some students in the program tell close friends; others keep it from nearly everyone outside their immediate family. Charles has tried both — sort of. 

“I’ll joke and say, “Yeah, I’m Bucky,” and people just don’t believe me,” he says. “You never have to convince somebody you’re not Bucky, because they don’t believe you in the first place.”

Athletics treats the position as something close to undercover, and for good reason. 

“If you’re a student and you know who’s wearing Bucky on any given day, it kind of depletes the meaningfulness of the whole mascot experience,” he says.

The small group of students who share the responsibility of being Bucky have become, in his words, family. 

“Those guys will be at my wedding,” he says. “It’s only been two years, and I’ve built some of the strongest relationships with anybody, ever.” 

The bond extends to UW’s mascot alumni network, who Charles describes as showing up for current students like uncles — and to a wider, informal fraternity of Big Ten mascots who travel to each other’s campuses, swap stories, and even gather for an annual Friendsgiving with Minnesota’s Goldie Gopher.

That cross-campus camaraderie comes with its share of inside jokes, too — rankings of which mascots have the best personalities,, envy over mascots with “extra extremities” to play with — Brutus Buckeye’s towel, Aubie the Tiger’s tail — and a running theory, never confirmed, never quite denied, about whether Bucky and UCLA’s Josie Bruin have a thing going on.

Bucky is not just a mascot, but a symbol, embodying Wisconsin values. Bucky helps students, fans, and alumni to engage with their youthful side. “He lets people know it’s ok to be authentic,” Charles says.

Bucky is frequently found on Wisconsin Design Team clothing - not just because he is a prevalent figure for the University, but because he represents the spirit of what it means to be a Badger.

 

 

Written by Paula Calleja

Interview with Charles Keith