In this week’s Friday Know-It-All, Private Events Manager Greg takes us on a dive into a bit of American mascot lore that runs deeper than you might expect.

Hey all! Private Events Manager Greg here with a brief dive into some strange American ephemera: the Billiken!

I’ve never been much of a fan of basketball, probably owing to the fact that I was uniquely cursed with the pairing of a 6-foot-3 height and a fundamental lack of hand-eye coordination. No, I do not play. Yes, I’ve tried.

I am fascinated, however, by the unique culture around the sport that fills our feeds every March during tourney season. While bigger teams are mainstays of the competition, small teams emerge every decade or two (or more!) with strange traditions. This year Omaha’s own Mavericks brought a bizarre win streak-spurring tradition of beating up trash cans to the big dance, though it didn’t stop them from getting bounced in the first round.

One thing that caught my eye (and imagination) in particular, thanks to a Sickos Committee post on Bluesky, was St. Louis University’s mascot. What is that? What is a Billiken? Was I missing out on a regional American cryptid? Why did I dream about it the night after seeing that post?

The Billiken was created by an American art teacher and illustrator in Kansas City, Missouri, named Florence Pretz, after reportedly coming to her in a dream. It was said to give you good luck if you bought it (ah, capitalism) and better luck if you received it as a gift (ah, souvenirs). The name came from a poem by Bliss Carman full of whimsical creatures and characters. (Tag urself, I’m Tallenough.)

But something about the Billiken was deeply memetic. A sort of prototype of the Troll Doll explosion half a century later, the Billiken expanded its reach. Notably, it topped a landmark tower called Tsutenkaku Tower in Japan, where visitors would rub its feet for luck. It spread through souvenir culture seemingly worldwide, from Tokyo to Alaska.
Whether you’re an originalist who sticks to the “It Follows” vibe of the top-tufted earlier mascot or the angular redesign that won a slam dunk contest on Jimmy Fallon in 2019, I hope you enjoyed this look into the humble Billiken. And if you see it in your dreams, please tell it to stay out of mine.