After 100 years of reticence, Billiken voices insight into daily life

The athletic department has thrown up banners, billboards and posters all over the city of St. Louis and the campus here at Saint Louis University urging fans to “Let Your Billiken Roar.” There’s one slight problem. No one has a single clue what a Billiken sounds like. From the looks of it, most people would probably guess that it could only muster up a few incoherent guttural tones.

In order to clear up this dialectal distress, the Billiken decided to celebrate its 100th birthday by breaking this lifetime of silence with its first ever interview. Turns out, behind that oversized glazed over smile sits a thoughtful, academic and playful mind. This longtime vow of silence is puzzling. Why would the big Billiken on campus maintain such a mute lifestyle?

“I consider to myself to be a Billiken for men, women and others,” the Billiken said. “I would rather hear the crowd scream and shout for the teams rather than myself. I’ll let them have all the fun while I play the role of getting them pumped up.”

The winking emblem of Saint Louis University athletics sure does a good job of that. Whether it’s by getting the fans pumped up during a key moment in a big game against an Atlantic 10 rival, tossing out free t-shirts for young Billiken fans or playing a prank during a break in the action, the Billiken sure keeps busy.

But there is more to life as SLU’s mascot than just horsing around at athletic events. It takes its role on campus seriously. Billiken maintains a full course load and carves out time from its busy schedule to hit the weights.

How many universities can lay claim to such a well-rounded mascot? Ignatius of Loyola would blush in envy of this full-package, cura personalis individual. The origins of the Billiken are fuzzy, like its felt skin, but they are certainly rooted in strong family ties.

“I have a mom and dad Billiken,” the Billliken said. “I have a younger brother, Big Blue, who has gotten a lot of publicity lately because he’s flashy and inflatable. I would be lying if I said I’m not a little jealous of him, but I’m happy for him.”

The whole Billiken crew has royal blue eyes and white hair, but miraculously, they are of Chinese decent. Go figure. Family comes first in the Billiken’s life. Second on the list of priorities are academics. All of SLU’s student athletes are working towards a degree in their field of choice. The Billiken is no different.

The student mascot has been enrolled in 18 hours for all 200 semesters it has been on the Frost Campus. “It’s a symbolic thing,” the Billiken said.

“The University was founded in 1818, so the higher ups will not let me take anything less than 18. Hands down, my favorite class has got to be the tumbling course I take with all the Saintsations.”

When he’s not busy in class,  the Billiken trains hard in the Simon Recreation Center in order to maintain the proper fitness necessary to keep its iconic bodily features. The mascot is careful to stay away from abdominal exercises. A chiseled stomach could lead to fewer wins for SLU’s teams.

“My belly is notable because it radiates good luck,” the Billiken said. “But the chicks definitely dig my biceps. They’re irresistible.”

After pumping out several sets of curls, it chugs a protein shake and heads upstairs to the basketball courts to perfect its patented reverse half-court granny shot. When game days roll around, the Billiken utilizes a pre-game routine to maintain focus. This means heading on over to the SLU mascot’s favorite dining establishment in all of St. Louis, Griesedieck Dining Hall, for a hearty meal.

“I load up on all the healthy options,” the Billiken said. “I make sure to hit all the food groups. I get whatever cut of meat is offered and toss some starches, like potatoes, on my plate to balance it out. For my second course, I ravage the salad bar, loading up on veggies and topping it all off with thousand island dressing.”

With a full stomach, it heads over to the locker room to get pumped up. After putting on some headphones, the Billiken puts the Space Jam soundtrack into its Walkman and blares the volume to full blast. After the opening kickoff, tipoff or serve, it’s all eyes on the Billiken — and the game. When in a bind, the mascot whips out its go-to move to energize the crowd.

“The old one-hand-to-the-ear and finger-to-the-crowd move gets them every time,” the Billiken said. “It’s a genuine crowd pleaser.”

The Billiken is a competitive son of a gun and wakes up everyday striving to be the best mascot in all of the land. Sharing the spotlight with Louie, the St. Louis Blues Mascot, and Fredbird, the St. Louis Cardinals mascot, is not an option.

“People go ga-ga over the Clydesdales too because they are such powerful creatures,” the Billiken admitted. But the illustrious, majestic horses that beer drinkers have come to identify with Anheuser-Busch products are no match for the Billiken.

“Yeah, I rode one once,” the Billiken quipped.

Now it may seem like the Billiken may have a little bit of a competitive streak, but can anyone really blame it? It would be lame if the face of the University was a dweeb who was content settling for second place.

There it is. There are no more excuses for the students who claim not to know how to roar like a Billiken. A Billiken’s roar sounds like swagger, bulging muscles and faintly of the Space Jam soundtrack. So go out there and let it roar for the Billiken and the student athletes this homecoming weekend.