Hound Dogs and Hush Puppies

The story of how Hush Puppies shoes got their name and how a Basset hound became their mascot begins with an early American food from the south called hush puppies (or hushpuppies).

There are many stories about the origin of hush puppies, a deep-fried cornmeal ball. According to the oldest, they originated in Nouvell Orleans  (now New Orleans) around the 1720s and became popular throughout the south. One day, an African cook in Atlanta was frying up a batch when a nearby puppy began barking. To quiet the dog, she gave it a plateful of the fried dough and said "hush puppy." Soon, hunters would hush their hound dogs with the southern cornballs.

In 1958, James Gaylord Muir, the first sales manager of the now famous Hush Puppies shoes, went on a selling trip in the south and heard the story of the food's origin. Because "barking dogs" is another name for sore feet, he thought the name Hush Puppies would be perfect for their shoes - people could "quiet their barking dogs" with their shoes.

Axelrod: Flying A's Worried Mascot

Axelrod, a Basset Hound, was famous in the 1960s for his worried look.

Flying A was a major gasoline brand from the 1930s to the 1960s. The theme for their advertising was not to worry as they will take care of your car's needs, and in the 1960s Axelrod became the perfect mascot because of his naturally worried look. He appeared in print ads in the Saturday Evening Post and in television commercials during sports events by his A-shaped doghouse with sayings like, "When it comes to your car...oooh, do we worry!" In 1966, Phillips Petroleum Co. bought out Flying A and Axelrod retired.

Steverino: The First Lady Greyhound Bus Mascot

First there was Steverino and then there was Lady Greyhound who bought much attention to the Greyhound bus company around the 1960s.

The company first began in 1914 and adopted the Greyhound name in 1929. The name came about when one of the drivers saw the reflection of his bus in a store window, reminding him of a greyhound dog. The running dog logo came out at that time, and its mascot didn't appear until 1957.

The future Greyhound mascot was born a pure bred but because she was a high-strung, nervous female she was not destined for the race track. Instead, she was sold to the bus-line. The first Greyhound TV commercial appeared during the Steve Allen show and their mascot was dubbed Steverino (Greyhound was the first transportation company to sponsor shows on television.) The 10 pound puppy quickly became famous and ended up with over 500,000 members in her fan clubs. After Greyhound ended their sponshorship of the Steve Allen show in the early 1960s, Steverino (Stevo) was renamed Lady Greyhound to the public. This announcement was made during a Jack Benny show.

Lady Greyhound, who was insured for $300,000, continued to travel across the country. She would make appearances at charity events and help inaugurate new bus terminals by biting through a ribbon of dog biscuits. Fifteen hundred people showed up at Detroit's opening to see Lady Greyhound and get her pawtograph. The famous dog made an appearance at the White House, was a regular guest on TV shows and even posed with Miss Universe Beauty Pageant contestants. She was great with the public and knew to freeze into a pose whenever she saw a photographer.

When Lady Greyhound traveled, she mostly went by charter-jet that included her own personal seat with safety belts because Greyhound had a rule against dogs. However, when the bus was not being operated publicly, she could ride on it. Wherever she traveled, she was to have the best accommodations possible. In addition, she was to get two hours of exercise every day and work for no more than an hour at a time.

Steverino retired in 1966 and two other greyhounds portrayed her until the ad campaign ended in 1970. Lorraine D'Essen of Animal Talent Scouts, who trained and cared for Lady Greyhound, kept Stevo after she retired. About a year before her retirement, Stevo gave birth to a litter of nine puppies. All the puppies were given away on Linkletter's TV show People are Funny to Brownies and Cub Scouts.

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Honey Tree Evil Eye: Better Known as Spuds MacKenzie

We weren't suppose to know this, but the partying Spuds MacKenzie who liked his Bud Light was portrayed by a female dog named Honey Tree Evil Eye.

Honey Tree Evil Eye, a bull terrier, was born on October 7, 1983. Before she became famous as Budweiser's ultimate party animal, she was a show dog in Chicago. The unusually calm and photogenic dog caught the eyes of advertisers, and soon appeared on ads across college campuses. Her famous role didn't come until 1987.

A 23 year old art director, Jon Moore, created the Spuds MacKenzie mascot and campaign for Bud Light. The first TV ad appeared during Super Bowl XXI and was a huge hit. According to The New York Times, Bud Light sales increased by 20% between 1987 and 1988. The partying dog was soon on posters, t-shirts and other items, and the song Baby Got Back was written by Sir Mix-A-Lot to praise women who didn't look like the Spuds MacKenzie girls which he described as "little skinny chicks looking like stop signs, with big hair and skinny bodies."

Honey Tree Evil Eye's career as Budweiser's mascot didn't last long due to controversy. Republican Senator Strom Thurmond accused Anheuser Busch of glamorizing the use of alcohol and encouraging those who are under-aged to drink. Mother's Against Drunk Driving also campaigned against Spuds MacKenzie. Although the Federal Trade Commission found no evidence to support the allegations, Budweiser's ultimate party animal retired in 1989. Anheuser Busch felt that Spud's character had started to overshadow the product.

It was People magazine who revealed Spuds MacKenzie's gender in 1987. The truth was never supposed to be revealed.

Honey Tree Evil Eye died of renal failure on May 31, 1993.

Uga: Georgia's Bulldog

University of Georgia's famous mascot began over 60 years ago with a bulldog named Uga. His descendants and name continue the tradition today.

In 1956 Frank "Sonny" Seiler was a law student at the University of Georgia (UGA). He married that year and the couple was given a white English bulldog as a wedding gift. He took the dog to the first football game of the season and the head coach asked Seiler if his bulldog could be the school's mascot. Seiler agreed and a fellow student suggested naming the mascot Uga.

Uga (Hood's Ole Dan), the grandson of a bulldog that accompanied the Georgia football team to its Rose Bowl victory in 1943, was born on December 2, 1955. He was the University's mascot for ten years. According to Seiler, his wife made Uga's red jersey using a kid's t-shirt, and she had to make quite a few of them. "During the early games in Athens, especially the hot ones before he had a dog house, the large green hedges that surround Sanford Stadium afforded welcomed shade in the heat of battle. Unfortunately, the hedges constantly tore these jerseys and new ones had to be made."

Uga retired in 1966 and died peacefully on November 9, 1967 while sleeping in the sun in the Seiler's backyard in Savannah.

Since Uga I, nine Ugas followed - all descendants of Uga I and all owned by the Seiler family.

All Ugas who passed away are buried in marble vaults near the main entrance at the southwest corner of Sanford Stadium. Epitaphs to the dogs are inscribed in bronze, and before each home game, flowers and gifts are placed on their graves. The epitaph for Uga I is "DAMN GOOD DOG", the words the whole stand at the stadium shouted when his retirement was announced.

Jiggs: First USMC Mascot

During WWI, German reports called the attacking Marines teufel-hunden meaning devil-dogs. Soon afterward, an English bulldog wearing a Marine Corps helmet was depicted on a recruiting poster. A few years after WWI, Jiggs made history as the first unofficial mascot to the Marines.

The first dog to serve as the mascot to the United States Marine Corps was an English bulldog named King Bulwark. King, sired by a well known and famous dog named Rob Roy, was born on May 22, 1922. The pup, renamed Jiggs, was enlisted into the Corps on October 14, 1922 at a formal ceremony by Brigadier General Smedley Butler.

Private Jiggs, stationed at the Marine base in Quantico, Virginia was quickly promoted to Corporal. Despite having been court-martialed several times for lack of proper manners, Jiggs was given the rank of Sergeant on New Year's Day in 1924 and Sergeant Major seven months later.

Jiggs was a pampered dog who liked living in the limelight. He attended football games to support his fellow Marines, and even starred in the 1926 movie Tell It To The Marines with Lon Chaney.

Jiggs passed away on January 9, 1927 - just four months shy of his fifth birthday. His satin-lined coffin laid in state at a hangar in Quantico, flanked by two Marine guards and surrounded by flowers from his many fans. He was mourned throughout the Corps and buried with full military honors.

The USMC's tradition of owning an English bulldog carries on to this day.

Shep: The Denver-Boulder Turnpike Dog

Shep became famous in history as a highway mascot who greeted motorists at the toll booths on the Denver-Boulder Turnpike.

In 1950, during the construction of the Boulder-Denver turnpike, a stray puppy wandered into the site where the workers would share bits of food with him. In 1952, when the turnpike opened to the motorists and the construction workers left, the timid dog began begging for food from the toll booth attendants. One cold night one of the attendant's working was able to coax the dog into his booth. The dog found a warm place to lie down and the attendant found company to better his night. Soon the dog, who was named Shep, became close friends with all the attendants.

Shep loved his new home and the motorists were thrilled to be greeted by the dog. In fact, drivers would pay a little extra to help buy dog food, give dog toys and treats, and even pull over to have their picture taken with Shep. It didn't take long for the Colorado Department of Transportation to make Shep the highway's unofficial mascot.

Despite all the love and attention Shep received, he still liked to roam off on his own at times but would always return. One day in 1958 he returned limping after he was mysteriously shot. Clyde Brunner, a Broomfield veterinarian, treated the dog for free and continued to donate his services for the rest of Shep's life.

In 1964, Shep was losing his sight and could barely get around. On August 3 of that year the men who loved and cared for him made the difficult decision to put Shep to sleep. The highway superintendent buried Shep next to the US 36 on-ramp. Two headstones were donated by residents, one with the inscription "Shep 1950-1964, Part Shepherd - Mostly Affection" and the other "Our Pal". Some suggested getting another toll booth dog but one attendant insisted "...nobody could take Shep's place...never".

The extra money the motorists paid, which was more than enough to feed and care for Shep, went towards the cost of the turnpike. In 1967, the turnpike was paid off, 13 years earlier than originally expected. In 2009, due to ongoing construction, Shep's grave was moved to Zang Spur Park, next to the Broomfield Depot Museum.

"He always wagged his tail at everyone who came by, and he was always happy," said Jane Spain, who helped lead the effort to move Shep's grave. "For everyone that went back and forth on the turnpike, he was their favorite thing."