Sparty
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Sparty refers to the mascot of Michigan State University. The mascot is man dressed in traditional Greek Spartan costume. Sparty appears in several incarnations: as a graphic image of a spartan with a prominent chin, as a foam-rubber large-headed mascot, and as two identical statues designed by Leonard D. Jungwirth.
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Statues
Sparty is the nickname of "The Spartan", a statue by sculptor Leonard D. Jungwirth, which is one of the best known symbols on campus.
History
"The Spartan" is based on the University of Southern California's Tommy Trojan statue. Michigan State College students attempted to design a Spartan statue, but the project failed. When John Hannah became president of MSC in 1941, he commissioned art assistant professor Leonard D. Jungwirth to design a statue. Originally designed as a bronze statue, "The Spartan" had to be cast in terra cotta due to World War II rationing of bronze and other metals necessary to the war.
1945 Terra Cotta Statue
President John Hannah dedicated the terra cotta Spartan on June 9, 1945. The 1945 Spartan is made of five large ceramic glazed terra cotta sections joined by mortar joints, with a poured concrete core over a steel frame. The statue stands 9’ 7" high and weighs approximately 3,000 pounds.
Campus tour guides and brochures all say that "The Spartan" is "believed to be the tallest free-standing ceramic sculpture in the world". MSU students repeat this phrase verbatim to their family and friends visiting from other schools.
2005 Bronze Statue
Spring_sparty.jpg
Terra cotta is a far from ideal material for a large outdoor statue. Michigan's harsh winters have taken a toll on the Spartan, as have uncountable acts of vandalism by students from MSU's rival school, the University of Michigan. While annual repair work helped stem the damage done by precipitation, extreme cold, and vandalism, in 2003 university officials estimated that the terra cotta Spartan would last only last five to seven more years before crumbling beyond repair.
In 1989, the Save Our Sparty (SOS) campaign helped restore the statue. When they finished, restorers made fiberglass molds of the refurbished statue. Fifteen years later, in early 2005 used these molds to cast an identical bronze replica that university officials hope will better stand up to Michigan winters and Michigan fans.
The terra cotta Spartan was removed from its base on May 11, 2005. During MSU's 2005 summer semester, the intersection at which the statue stood will be completely redesigned to allow for safer traffic interaction with pedestrians. In August, 2005, MSU president Lou Anna Simon will dedicate the new bronze Spartan, as well a new football stadium annex where the old terra cotta Spartan can be displayed safely indoors.
Mascot
While MSU students and alumni often refer to "The Spartan" statue as Sparty, the incarnation of Sparty with national visibility is that of a costumed mascot who appears at athletic events and other university-related functions. The costume, with a cartoonishly oversized head, bulging muscles, and a facial expression that treads a fine line between cute and pugnacious, was introduced to MSU fans during the 1989 football season. Sparty was an immediate hit, in part because the foam-rubber body parts and vinyl breastplate have a freedom of movement that allow the specially-selected students (whose identities are kept private) who become Sparty to be quite expressive despite the mascot's fixed stare.
Sparty came to national prominence in the mid-1990s with his appearance in a series of television ads promoting ESPN's SportsCenter. One ad depicted Sparty carrying gymnast Kerri Strug in the manner of "Beauty and the Beast". More recently he has appeared in ESPN ads with background cameos, such as eating in a diner booth or browsing the shelves of a bookstore.
In 2004, Sparty won the Best Mascot National Championship at the Universal Cheer Association/Universal Dance Association College Nationals, becoming the first Big Ten mascot to do so. He won Best Mascot for the second year in a row in 2005.
External Links
- Official Sparty Mascot Program page (http://www.msusaf.com/Sparty_Mascot_Program/default.cfm)
- Sparty Project (http://www.msualum.com/spartyproject/spartyproject-frameset.htm) (with before and after pcitures)