Funny you should ask, because the answer is yes — and it was this week! Buckingham U. Badger’s official birthday is October 2, 1940. “But Bucky’s been around way longer than that!” you’re probably shouting at your screen. That’s true: in 1889, intercollegiate football started at the University of Wisconsin, and the team selected the badger as its mascot. In 1940, Californian artist Art Evans penned the first drawing of Bucky and his signature sweater. Then on October 2 of that year, the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, copyrighted Bucky — thus officially designating the date as his birthday. Bucky has sported several different looks in his 77 years: from a live, uncontrollable badger to a three-foot-tall papier-mâché head in 1949 to the fuzzy, friendly face we know today. Happy birthday, Bucky!