Happy birthday, Sparty!

Like many great hero origin stories, Sparty comes from humble beginnings. Once Michigan Agricultural College became Michigan State University, the name of the intercollegiate sports teams was changed from the “Aggies” to the “Staters” and then to the “Spartans” in 1925. Members of the campus community made many attempts to depict the proud warrior of their namesake.

The first Sparty mascot costume was created by Theta Xi fraternity brothers Donald Pais, Kenneth Roberts and Don Bauer in 1955. The costume consisted of a giant papier-mâché head that weighed nearly 60 pounds. This Sparty debuted at a Jenison Field House pep rally before the Notre Dame football game.

Sparty circa 1958. After the first rendition of the costume was a hit at its debut, a similar but much lighter head was created in 1956. The new head made of fiberglass (and 30 pounds lighter), took a good deal of weight off the wearer’s shoulders. 

 Sparty runs the field at an MSU vs. U-M game, 1973. Though the first iterations of the mascot were created by various fraternities, MSU’s student government assumed responsibility of the head in 1960. 

In 1985, the MSU Alumni Association tasked graphic designer Dave Giordan to draw up a logo featuring Sparty with muscles and full body armor. The design was a hit and in 1989, after extensive research, a revamped Sparty was created by Real Characters, Inc. to be an “approachable, fierce yet kind man-for-all-seasons” mascot. This version of Sparty, which would come to be the one we know and love today, finally became MSU’s official mascot. Though the costume would be updated occasionally, including as recently as 2017, the fierce kindness and strength he has shown as MSU’s official mascot remains unmistakable.

Through the years, Sparty has won the hearts of not only Spartans, but admirers around the globe. In 2015, Sparty was immortalized as a bronze monument inside the MSU Union. Now a destination and perfect photo-op, the sculpture became the second “Bronze Sparty” on campus, following the original “The Spartan” statue’s bronze replica created 10 years prior. Photo by Derrick L. Turner.

Today, Sparty has become a staple of MSU culture, performing at sports events, hanging out on campus with students and even attending alumni events like weddings and birthdays. Since he’s always there for us, we wanted to take a moment to appreciate him on his special day. Happy birthday, Sparty! Photo courtesy of the MSU Alumni Office.