Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Neilson Library First Floor

Smith College recently announced the college would be choosing a new moniker, after a recent survey found 82% of student-athletes feel disconnected from the current Pioneer mascot. But did you know that Smith has seen a whole menagerie of monikers since the 1880s?

Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My! highlights just a few of the mascots found in the records of the College Archives. Pieces of the exhibit include a marionette puppet of the Class of 1905’s Mad March Hare, a 1941 gym uniform sporting the lion moniker, an 1899 classbook and wooden cutout featuring the green dragon, and much more.

Want to submit an idea for Smith’s next mascot? The college is accepting submissions until April 11. Alums can submit suggestions via a Google form. Students, staff, and faculty can log in to submit ideas. Be a part of this exciting moment in Smith’s history!

History of Smith College Mascots

With a few exceptions, Smith College did not participate in intercollegiate sports until the early 1970s and did not participate in the NCAA until 1981. Up until that time, all college sports were played class against class. As such, in college’s early years, each class often selected their own animals to use as mascots, with some of the creatures including rabbits, dragons, griffins, jabberwockies, peacocks, crickets, dogs, and turkeys.

The Lion and Unicorn, however, rose above the rest in the 1950s and the two monikers represented the “odd” and “even” classes until the late 1970s. In 1979, after a mascot-naming contest, the Unicorns prevailed and remained the official Smith moniker until the Pioneer was chosen in 1986.

Nanci Young, College Archivist: nyoung@smith.edu