To celebrate Homecoming and Herky’s 60th birthday, the Sacramento State Public Affairs Office is encouraging students to submit videos wishing Herky a happy birthday. Submissions can be made using YouTube.

Many students admitted that they didn’t know who Herky is or that the school even has a mascot.

“Herby?” guessed Kristian Altier, a senior business major. “I just know he’s a hornet.”

Altier speculated that more people would know about the school’s mascot if Sac State “actually had a winning football team.”

Others are aware, but have never seen him in action.

“I know because I was also supposed to go to UC Santa Cruz, but didn’t want to be a slug,” said Crystal Buskirk, a senior English major. “I’ve seen him on sweaters, but I’ve never been to a game.”

Herky’s obscurity was a surprise to the contest’s organizers.

“I (don’t) think we…realized that there was a bit of an awareness problem around Herky himself,” said Richard Rojo, director of Strategic Communications at the Public Affairs Office and one of the contest’s coordinators and judges.

Contest prizes include an 80-gigabyte iPod Classic and a four-gigabyte iPod Nano for the two best entries, and 20 Java City gift cards, which will be randomly awarded to other qualifying entries.

According to the contest’s website, prizes are being provided by the Sac State Alumni Association using non-state funds.

“I think videos should be funny,” Rojo said. “We would like to see some creativity, some goofiness. Personally, I would like to see some people make up funny stories about Herky. Get creative. Fictional videos are perfectly acceptable and even encouraged.”

Despite the promise of prizes, there hadn’t been any entries as of Oct. 4.

“I’m a little disappointed in that, but I’m hoping some last-minute publicity will help.” Rojo said.

The contest deadline has been extended to Friday at noon, right before the annual Homecoming football game, Rojo said.

The Herky character was created in 1947 by students,at what was then called Sacramento State College, according to the Sac State website.

His appearance has changed over the years, ranging from a giant cartoon hornet to a regular man with a huge bug-head.

“It started as a school insignia mascot. It wasn’t too into athletics,” said Adam Primas, Herky’s official handler and the director of Marketing and Promotions for Sac State Athletics.

The hornet finally became the school’s real-life mascot in the ’60s, said Brian Hensley, a junior majoring in recreation and leisure who wore the Herky costume last year.

The identity of the person in the Herky suit is a tightly guarded secret.

“You don’t tell people who you are because it takes the mysteriousness away from it,” Hensley said. “You want people to see the character, not the person inside.”

Hensley said he didn’t tell anyone about his job as the mascot, with his boss and fellow interns being the only people to know Herky’s secret identity.

“Slowly when I started not doing it anymore…I started to let people know that (it) was me,” Hensley said. “It’s something to brag about. It’s kind of hard not to tell your friends.”

Herky is also mute, only speaking telepathically to his handler Primas.

“He’s animated,” Primas said. “I can tell what Herky is saying.”

Mascots stopped talking around the mid ’80s, Hensley said, noting that earlier versions of Herky would speak and help lead the school’s fight-song at sporting events.

Hensley describes Herky’s personality as fun, loving, energetic and goofy. He is also known for doing the Herky Jerky dance, which consists of whatever moves the mascot decides to bust out with.

Hensley said Herky is making strides in becoming better known within the Sac State community.

“I would say that…people are just now starting to…recognize him and say ‘Oh that’s Herky, OK,'” Hensley said. “They recognize who he is when they see him, they don’t just go ‘Oh there’s just a giant bug, what’s he doing?'”

Aside from sporting events, Herky takes part in promotions for various local companies, is invited to birthday parties for other mascots such as Dinger of the Sacramento River Cats baseball team, and visits children at the local Shriners Hospitals with Sac State athletes, Hensley said.

“He especially likes going around and hanging out with the kids,” Hensley said. “The biggest thing is when you put a smile on a little kids face, especially in those hospitals, they just love you.”

For more information about the contest, including rules and submission instructions, visit http://www.csus.edu/homecoming/YouTube.htm.

Avi Ehrlich can be reached at [email protected].