Baby Jay
Encyclopedia
Baby Jay is one of the mascot
s of the University of Kansas
's sports teams. She and fellow mascot Big Jay
are Jayhawks
. Baby Jay was created by student Amy Sue Hurst and "hatched" at half-time
of KU's Homecoming
victory in football
over Kansas State University
on October 9, 1971, and has served as a mascot ever since.
depicting Big Jay and hatchling
s which inspired her to create a new mascot. After talking to a co-worker who was a Big Jay and getting approval from the KU Alumni Association
she created Baby Jay.
Baby Jay made her official debut October 9, 1971 during the half-time of KU's homecoming game against in-state rivals
Kansas State University
. In front of 55,000 fans Big Jay hauled a large egg to the 50-yard line of Memorial Stadium
. A few moments later Baby Jay "hatched" from the artificial egg and has served as an ambassador of KU at events across the country ever since.
The original costume weighed 30 pounds, consisted of chicken wire
, fiberglass
, and felt. The total cost was $53. In 2003, Amy Hurst, the original Baby Jay, started a fund to help cover the cost of the now $5,000 costume that is replaced every two years.
, and leading cheers.
games giving hugs to youngsters. Baby Jay, being smaller than Big Jay, is often involved in entertaining children. She is also present at most major university events such as athletic competitions, Tradition Night, Band Spectacular, and graduation.
Baby Jay is also seen in the community attending weddings, opening the Godzilla
film festival, or even lobbying
legislators to fund higher education.
In return for these services Baby Jay receives either a $100 or $400 scholarship per semester.
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
s of the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
's sports teams. She and fellow mascot Big Jay
Big Jay (mascot)
Big Jay is one of the mascots of the University of Kansas' sports teams. He and fellow mascot Baby Jay are Jayhawks. School tradition dictates Big Jay be male and at least 6 feet 2 inches tall, and in a given year there are multiple people that are Big Jay....
are Jayhawks
Kansas Jayhawks
The sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They are one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference...
. Baby Jay was created by student Amy Sue Hurst and "hatched" at half-time
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
of KU's Homecoming
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America...
victory in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
over Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
on October 9, 1971, and has served as a mascot ever since.
History
In 1970 Amy Hurst saw a Jayhawk bumper stickerBumper sticker
A bumper sticker is an adhesive label or sticker with a message, intended to be attached to the bumper of an automobile and to be read by the occupants of other vehicles - although they are often stuck onto other objects...
depicting Big Jay and hatchling
Hatchling
In oviparous biology, a hatchling is the newborn of animals that develop and emerge from within hard-shell eggs. The offspring of birds are often hatched naked and with their eyes closed. The hatchling relies totally on its parents for feeding and warmth. Hatchlings precede nestlings in the chick's...
s which inspired her to create a new mascot. After talking to a co-worker who was a Big Jay and getting approval from the KU Alumni Association
Alumni association
An alumni association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students. In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools , fraternities, and sororities often form groups with alumni from the same organisation...
she created Baby Jay.
Baby Jay made her official debut October 9, 1971 during the half-time of KU's homecoming game against in-state rivals
Sunflower Showdown
The Sunflower Showdown is the series of athletic contests between Kansas State University and the University of Kansas, most notably football and men's basketball. The name is derived from the official nickname for the state of Kansas: the Sunflower State....
Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
. In front of 55,000 fans Big Jay hauled a large egg to the 50-yard line of Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium, Lawrence
University of Kansas Memorial Stadium is a football stadium located in Lawrence, Kansas, on the campus of the University of Kansas. The stadium is dedicated as a memorial to the KU students who died in World War I...
. A few moments later Baby Jay "hatched" from the artificial egg and has served as an ambassador of KU at events across the country ever since.
The original costume weighed 30 pounds, consisted of chicken wire
Chicken wire
Chicken wire, or poultry netting, is a mesh of wire commonly used to fence poultry livestock. It is made of thin, flexible galvanized wire, with hexagonal gaps...
, fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
, and felt. The total cost was $53. In 2003, Amy Hurst, the original Baby Jay, started a fund to help cover the cost of the now $5,000 costume that is replaced every two years.
Selection process
The selection process to become Baby Jay is generally during the spring semester. Though they cannot legally only pick females, traditionally, Baby Jay is a female. The student applicant must create an original skit when trying out to be the mascot. The skit can last no longer than one minute and must include a plot with music and props. The student must also meet several physical conditions. To be able to fit into the Baby Jay costume the student must be between 4' 11" and 5' 1" tall. The auditioning process may also include 20 minutes of running, performing an entrance and exit routine, emotion and reaction exercises, dancing with the pep bandPep band
A pep band is an ensemble of instrumentalists who play at functions or events with the purpose of entertaining and "pepping" up a crowd. Often members of a pep band are a subset of people from a larger ensemble such as a marching band or a concert band. Pep bands are generally associated with...
, and leading cheers.
Duties
The primary duty of Baby Jay is to be an ambassador of KU, roaming the sidelines at football and basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
games giving hugs to youngsters. Baby Jay, being smaller than Big Jay, is often involved in entertaining children. She is also present at most major university events such as athletic competitions, Tradition Night, Band Spectacular, and graduation.
Baby Jay is also seen in the community attending weddings, opening the Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
film festival, or even lobbying
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
legislators to fund higher education.
In return for these services Baby Jay receives either a $100 or $400 scholarship per semester.