Corky the Hornet, Emporia State’s beloved mascot, showed up to the Nov. 1 Homecoming football game with a new look. The change was almost instantly met with apprehension.
Students took to social media platforms like YikYak, Snapchat and Instagram to share their thoughts about the change, using the singular hashtag “#notmycorky.” Others called for the reinstallation of the previous mascot.
“Alright guys time to bully them back into changing it back #notmycorky,” said one user on YikYak, a social media platform that allows users to post and engage with each other anonymously.
In a social media poll by The Bulletin, 84 percent of the 90 campus community respondents said they preferred the old Corky mascot, which adorned a yellow head but had no mascot body. 9 percent said they preferred the new mascot look.
But not all students expressed discontent about the mascot’s makeover. Student Brylee Graff told The Bulletin she saw some benefits to Corky’s new look.
“The first one didn’t have a body at all,” said student Brylee Graff. “So I think I liked that we added somewhat of a body to it. It feels more like an actual mascot, I guess, instead of just someone with a head on. So that’s nice.”
The makeover wasn’t just for aesthetic purposes though, said Vice President for Engagement and Chief of Marketing Kayla Maxfield.
While Corky last had an update in 2017, the decision for a new look was also logistical. Cooling pads and wiring for a fan were installed to prevent the wearer from overheating, and the body piece is more inclusive for anyone to dress the part, not just those who fit certain marketing requirements.
“With this new Corly that we have there can be people with all different kinds of body types that can wear the Corky costume, and we’re still able to stay on brand and look the same,” said Maxfield. “Before, we had to be really particular with the type of body of the person that was in the Corky suit, because they couldn’t look different from the quirky that maybe wore it the week before. And so really, this helps us with our overall consistency and keeping that same look.”
In response to the criticism of the new Corky, Maxfield says it’s a typical responsible change, which can be a learning curve. She welcomes the discourse about the change and hopes that students and the campus community “will grow to love him.”
“People aren’t used to the new bold look,” she said. “Corky’s still the same Corky, he’s just showcasing a stronger, faster, new version. We did still try to keep a lot of that nostalgia and that historic Corky look, but also enhanced it a little bit, and so hopefully people will learn to love the new Corky and the new Corky look.”
