Messenger - Vol. 1, No. 2, Page 14 Winter 1992 Huggable Blue Hen It's no longer a lean, mean fighting machine. It's a lot more personable and cuddly. It's the new University of Delaware Blue Hen, which made its debut this fall. Some diehard fans say the new Blue Hen is a little too huggable, but families, especially children, seem to love it. After the away game at the University of Massachusetts, a little girl approached the Blue Hen and asked for its autograph. Inside, Larry Chaifetz, the sophomore accounting major who wears the costume, was elated. In fact, reaction from junior-sized football fans is so good there are tentative plans afoot to establish a Blue Hen Coop-a portion of the stadium where youngsters can have their photos taken with the Blue Hen. "The old Blue Hen (which is still rented out for off-campus appearances) had a fighting face and looked mean. He walked with his chest out and was a real strong guy," Chaifetz says. "The new one is happier and more loving. He's very 'cartoony.' He's made of foam and wears yellow corduroy overalls with a big U.D. appliqued on the front. "It's been a big adjustment for some fans, but most people seem to like it. I get more good than bad reactions when I go up in the stands," Chaifetz says. In fact, Chaifetz is able to maneuver better in the stands inside the new costume. One of the reasons a new Blue Hen was needed was to give whoever wears the costume greater flexibility of movement and better eyesight. "In the old Blue Hen, you could only see out of the sides," Chaifetz says. "In this one, you can see out of the eyes and the mouth. It's a bigger costume, so you have to work with it and learn how to navigate with the stomach and tail, but it's much more practical as mascots go." Why a new Blue Hen in l99l? "We'd had the old Blue Hen for eight to 10 years," Sylvester Johnson, assistant director of the Intercollegiate Athletics Program and Blue Hen adviser, says. "It was beginning to look pretty bad. The fans and the cheerleaders were complaining about it. "And," he continues, "the Blue Hen is very important. It's a great vehicle for recruiting, for publicity, for representing the University. We wanted one that would look nice and give the proper image." Johnson served on a committee that also included Robert R. Davis, director of University relations, and Barbra Andrisani, director of alumni relations. Their charge was to come up with a new Blue Hen. Johnson visited many other schools and several companies that manufacture mascots and talked to a lot of University people about just what they wanted to see in a Blue Hen. Then the committee consulted Andrea Barrier, associate professor of theatre, who did the actual design and construction of the Blue Hen. Chaifetz says he sees the Blue Hen's main job as getting the crowd going. He performs some cheers with the cheerleaders and interacts with the band. Before each game, he chats with the other team's mascot to work out a skit to perform before the fans, usually involving some sort of rivalry. He also makes it a point to visit as many tailgaters as he can prior to a game and makes a traditional visit to the president's box during each home game. A second Blue Hen costume, identical to the one Chaifetz wears only smaller, is under consideration. The person chosen to wear the smaller costume would appear on field occasionally to interact with the large one. The person inside also would serve as an alternate for Chaifetz. Having two people who know how to perform as the Blue Hen is practical, Johnson said, as the Hen is often in demand. In addition to football games, it had September appearances at MBNA and Newark's Community Day. The Hen also appears at functions sponsored by the offices of the president and alumni relations. -Beth Thomas