Why is the Bobcat the “official” mascot of NYU?
In 1984, NYU’s Bobst Library began the process of computerizing its catalog. To lead students and faculty through the new system, a Bobst Catalog character was derived to instruct users on how to prompt the new system. The BobCat (from Bobst Library Catalog) was the character. Bobcat images appeared all over the library, in campus publications, and in many other campus locations. The Bobcat was a cartoon—cute and user-friendly. Meantime, the athletic department had only a year earlier reinstated its men’s varsity basketball program. With great fanfare, the department kicked off the reinstatement of the program in a game against CCNY at the Coles Sports Center on November 26, 1983. In preparation for this contest, the Violets nickname was personified in the form of a walking, talking, acrobatic Violet. Clad in a skintight green bodysuit, arms in the shape of green violet leaves, a necklace of large purple petals, and a purple face with yellow hair, the Violet was unveiled at a pep-rally
