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Campus Celebrity: Bananas

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Hannah Chambers
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Maine chapter.

In honor of the University of Maine’s 150th birthday, this week’s Campus Celebrity is our mascot, Bananas the Bear! According to the university, the Black Bear became UMaine’s mascot over 100 years ago, when a live bear cub was given to the university by the Old Town chief of police in 1914. In the 1960s, the practice of using live mascots was outlawed by Maine State Court, and the university switched to a human mascot.

Bananas mascot costumes from the ’80s and ’90s

 

Since the use of human mascots began, there have been seven different mascot costumes, including the one that is currently in use. Five of the costumes are currently on display in the new Spirit Room in the Memorial Union. Members of the Alpha Delta National Fraternity bring Bananas the Bear to life at athletic events and other school functions. 

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Hannah began her involvement with Her Campus as a contributing writer for the UMaine chapter after transferring from Seton Hall University in 2013. Currently, she is the HC UMaine Campus Correspondent and a Chapter Advisor. She is also a staff writer at the University of Maine's student newspaper, The Maine Campus. As a fourth year Journalism student with an English minor, Hannah enjoys writing everything from hard news stories to GIF-filled listicles. In addition to her involvement with Her Campus, Hannah coaches a junior varsity high school cheerleading team. In her spare time, you can find Hannah sharing hair tips on her personal blog, obsessing over Justin Bieber and re-watching episodes of Gossip Girl.