Vol. 19, No. 13

Dec. 2, 1999

Happy Birthday, Baby Blue

When is a halftime more than just a halftime? When it's also a birthday. Before a sold-out crowd at The Bob Nov. 23 for the UD basketball season-opener, halftime was marked by something extra-the birth of a new Fightin' Blue Hen mascot. YoUDee, along with members of the UD cheerleaders, dance team and Marching Band, watched as a gigantic blue egg (creaated by Robin Payne, theatre) cracked open to reveal the newest addition to Delaware's mascot tradition! Named Baby Blue, this young chick of a mascot is 65 inches tall, with a bantam weight of 103 pounds. This blue-blooded chick is just learning to shake its 24-inch tail feathers and taking its first few steps in those 13EEE Air YoUDees. Hatched: 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 23, The Bobb Present at Delivery: 5,000-plus enthusiastic Blue Hen fans Height: 65 inches Weight: 103 pounds Who: The new hen in town, Baby Blue joins older sibling YoUDee as an official Fightin' Blue Hen mascot at the University of Delaware. Like any blue-blooded chick, Baby Blue traces its lineage back to the Revolutionary War, when the first blue hens developed their reputation for courage and ferocity in battle-traits seen today in the fighting spirit of UD athletic teams. Lineage: Baby Blue's great-great-great-grandfather, Col. George W. YoUDee, distinguished himself in the Revolutionary War and was cited for bravery in battle. Capt. John Caldwell, commenting after the Battle of Trenton, said, "There's no yellow streak in that chicken. He's blue to the bone." He was given a gold medal of valor, so blue and gold now serve as Baby Blue's official family colors. Plumage: Like any newly hatched chick, Baby Blue is learning to shake its 24-inch tail feathers and perfect its strut in 13EEE Air YoUDees. Breeding: Baby Blue was created by Tom Sapp of Real Characters Inc. in Atlanta. He also created YoUDee. Incubator: Keith Bailey of Real Characters Productions Inc. built the three-dimensional mascot using Scott foam, Antron fleece, medical-quality plastics and a variety of other special materials.