I have a question concerning a mythical creature called Becky Badger. My girlfriend, who grew up in Wisconsin, insists that she remembers a female version of Bucky Badger called Becky Badger, complete with a bow in her hair. Did such a creature ever exist?

From time to time, efforts have been made to create a female version of Bucky Badger or a female friend for Bucky. But no female badger mascot has survived the test of time. Before the birth of Bucky in his current form, the 1941 Badger yearbook featured two loving badgers — boyfriend and girlfriend Benny and Beulah. But they were not attempts at a mascot.

There was some talk about finding a partner for Bucky, and the name Becky was tossed around with others (such as Betty), but it never really went beyond the experimental stage. A 1980 photo from UW-Madison Archives shows a smiling, waving, bow-topped Becky Badger. But according to Bucky historians, she was a short-lived, one-time kind of badger mascot.