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Big Red (Western Kentucky University)
Encyclopedia
Big Red is the name given to Western Kentucky University
's mascot, a red, furry blob created by WKU student Ralph Carey in 1979. Big Red is meant to symbolize the spirit of WKU students and alumni as well as the sports teams' nickname, the "Hilltoppers," a name chosen because the school's campus sits atop a hill standing 232 feet (71 m) above the Barren River flowing through WKU's home city of Bowling Green
.
's "Battle of the Mascots." He was also featured prominently in the promotion for ESPN
's 25,000th episode of SportsCenter
.
Big Red has been selected eight times to compete in the Capital One Mascot Challenge in the competition's ten year history, reaching the semifinals of the 2006 Capital One Mascot Challenge.
, a television station founded by Italy's prime minister Silvio Berlusconi
. The suit claimed that Gabibbo
, a mascot for some of the network's programs (i.e.: "Striscia la Notizia
" and "Paperissima Sprint"), was an exact replica of Big Red. Gabibbo
debuted in 1990, eleven years after Big Red, and Gabibbo's creator, Antonio Ricci, told Italian magazine Novella 2000 in 1991 that "Big Red became Gabibbo." In a later interview with The New York Times
Ricci recanted the 1991 statement, saying he was only joking with the magazine.
On December 6, 2007, Michelle Day of the College Heights Herald
reported, "An Italian judge ruled against Western and in favor of an Italian television company in a $250 million lawsuit for copyright and trademark infringement. Western, Crossland Enterprises Inc. and Adfra sued television company Mediaset in 2002, saying the company copied Big Red to create Gabibbo, the star of a satirical news show the company airs in Italy."
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
's mascot, a red, furry blob created by WKU student Ralph Carey in 1979. Big Red is meant to symbolize the spirit of WKU students and alumni as well as the sports teams' nickname, the "Hilltoppers," a name chosen because the school's campus sits atop a hill standing 232 feet (71 m) above the Barren River flowing through WKU's home city of Bowling Green
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
.
Recognition
Big Red was an immediate hit, winning the "Key to the Spirit" award at the Universal Cheerleading Association competition in 1980, 1981 and 1983. He reached the Universal Cheerleading Association's Final Four and was awarded 2nd runner-up to collegiate Mascot of the Year in 1990. In 1996 he reached the Final Four of ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's "Battle of the Mascots." He was also featured prominently in the promotion for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's 25,000th episode of SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
.
Big Red has been selected eight times to compete in the Capital One Mascot Challenge in the competition's ten year history, reaching the semifinals of the 2006 Capital One Mascot Challenge.
Controversy
Big Red found himself in the center of an international controversy in 2004 when the university filed suit against MediasetMediaset
Mediaset S.p.A., known as Gruppo Mediaset in Italian, is an Italian-based media company which is the largest commercial broadcaster in the country...
, a television station founded by Italy's prime minister Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
. The suit claimed that Gabibbo
Gabibbo
Gabibbo is an Italian mascot for the Mediaset-controlled channel Canale 5, created in 1990 by Antonio Ricci and operated by Gero Caldarelli. Gabibbo's main role has been in the programs Paperissima and Striscia la notizia, but he has appeared in several other Canale 5 programs...
, a mascot for some of the network's programs (i.e.: "Striscia la Notizia
Striscia la notizia
Striscia la notizia is an Italian television program on the Mediaset-controlled Canale 5. Its name in Italian translates as "the news slithers", a probable parody of the slighting italian journalist, submitted to politicians and overwhelmed with shame...
" and "Paperissima Sprint"), was an exact replica of Big Red. Gabibbo
Gabibbo
Gabibbo is an Italian mascot for the Mediaset-controlled channel Canale 5, created in 1990 by Antonio Ricci and operated by Gero Caldarelli. Gabibbo's main role has been in the programs Paperissima and Striscia la notizia, but he has appeared in several other Canale 5 programs...
debuted in 1990, eleven years after Big Red, and Gabibbo's creator, Antonio Ricci, told Italian magazine Novella 2000 in 1991 that "Big Red became Gabibbo." In a later interview with The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
Ricci recanted the 1991 statement, saying he was only joking with the magazine.
On December 6, 2007, Michelle Day of the College Heights Herald
College Heights Herald
The College Heights Herald is the student newspaper of Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It is published on Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the fall and spring semesters of the school year. The school provides staff support and facilities for the newspaper but does not...
reported, "An Italian judge ruled against Western and in favor of an Italian television company in a $250 million lawsuit for copyright and trademark infringement. Western, Crossland Enterprises Inc. and Adfra sued television company Mediaset in 2002, saying the company copied Big Red to create Gabibbo, the star of a satirical news show the company airs in Italy."