Tarzán (mascot)
Encyclopedia
Tarzán is the official mascot
of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez
, also known as "Colegio".
. By that time Johnny Weissmüller
had made the character of Tarzan
very popular, his character incarnated masculinity, courage and athleticism and for that reason up until 1946 the university would dress a student up as the loincloth Tarzan to cheer on the Mayagüez student-athletes. In later years a lion
and even a puma
where considered for school mascots, but those were ruled out because of the laws would not be allowed to be paraded.
Towards mid 1940’s with the second world war coming to an end, and among the many people that for one reason or another had grabbed the attention of the world press was Winston Churchill
. Because of his heroism the people started calling him the “English Bulldog”. Three men; Sixto Ramírez, Libertario Avilés and Héctor Huyke decided that by analogy the mascot named Tarzán would be a Bulldog. The University administration made the relevant efforts to obtain the bulldog which would be baptized Tarzan, however, these efforts were unsuccessful and instead had to parade the boxer
belonging to the ROTC Colonel Victor Domenech. This became the first “Colegio” team mascot.
When the first bulldog or Tarzán I arrived in 1950 the university received him with an ROTC and Marching band parade
with the attendance of the entire university. He was tended to in a particular manner; a cage was prepared under a mango tree and the freshmen students had to venerate the dog. A year later Tarzán I died of asphyxiation, victim of a bone he swallowed. Immediately after the demise of the first Tarzan, the students began a collection to replace the unfortunate original. So that Tarzán II would receive better care, he was placed under the custody of don Enrique Huyke, his meritorious work continued until 1975, year when the professor retired.
This second Tarzán came to the campus from Oklahoma
when he had only eight weeks of life. The third and fourth stemmed from the kindness of Mr John Wiburn and his wife of Texas
. The fifth and sixth Tarzans were a gift from one of the Social Fraternities on campus.
. Tarzan II died and there was no mascot for the “Justas” or Inter University Games. Thus about 15 art students and athletes began to work on the sculpture. They decided to make a dog with chicken wire
and cover it with Papier-mâché
and starch because they didn't get the money to buy paste; they also used cardboard to give more strength in some areas, among the students who helped was Antulio "Kobbo" Santarrosa.
The result was a huge sculpture with more than ten feet in height and eighty pounds in weight, it was painted in the traditional white
and green
Colegio color. The sculpture made its début on April 1967 when it entered the Hiram Bithorn Stadium
in front of the Mayagüez delegation to the Justas. Yet the statue was mocked by the rival universities fans because it lacked an important part of its male anatomy. Still the university won that year and as soon as the games where over, the students started the task of adding that part of the anatomy to the dog, but in a very pronounced manner. The next year 1968, when the sculpture Tarzán entered the stadium none of the rival students yelled at the dog because nobody could doubt its masculinity.
The dog has gone thru various restorations; the first was in the seventies when the students decided to cover it with fiberglass
for durability. This first restoration resulted in an increase in weight, now weighing 150 pounds. The Process also resulted in the bulldog having a more friendly facial expression. In 1985 it went thru another restoration, and yet another one in the nineties when its paint got a touch up. Other fixes included the installation of wire nets in the nose because in two occasions beehives made the orifices home.
Presently the sculpture rarely leaves the campus and it is usually located in front of the Student Center, nevertheless on special occasions the Paper Tarzán is dressed in gala. As is the case of the graduation
when he is dressed in academic regalia
wearing an Academic cap and Medals as if he were another graduate and is placed in front of the Rafael A. Mangual Coliseum
where the graduation takes place. As soon as the students are declared graduates they head out to take a picture with the Paper Tarzán.
Most of the "Janes" have perished because of cardiac complications. The last dog to bare the name Jane VIII, the partner of Tarzán X died in 2008 giving birth.
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez or Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez in Spanish , is a land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant state university located in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...
, also known as "Colegio".
History
In 1946 the "Colegio" was one of the most successful Universities in sports in Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. By that time Johnny Weissmüller
Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller was an Austro-Hungarian-born American swimmer and actor best known for playing Tarzan in movies. Weissmuller was one of the world's best swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal. He won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven...
had made the character of Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
very popular, his character incarnated masculinity, courage and athleticism and for that reason up until 1946 the university would dress a student up as the loincloth Tarzan to cheer on the Mayagüez student-athletes. In later years a lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
and even a puma
Puma (genus)
Puma is a genus in Felidae that contains the cougar and the jaguarundi, and may also include several poorly known Old World fossil representatives .-Species:*Puma concolor – CougarPuma pardoides Puma is a genus in Felidae that contains the cougar (also known as the puma, among other names)...
where considered for school mascots, but those were ruled out because of the laws would not be allowed to be paraded.
Towards mid 1940’s with the second world war coming to an end, and among the many people that for one reason or another had grabbed the attention of the world press was Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
. Because of his heroism the people started calling him the “English Bulldog”. Three men; Sixto Ramírez, Libertario Avilés and Héctor Huyke decided that by analogy the mascot named Tarzán would be a Bulldog. The University administration made the relevant efforts to obtain the bulldog which would be baptized Tarzan, however, these efforts were unsuccessful and instead had to parade the boxer
Boxer (dog)
Developed in Germany, the Boxer is a breed of stocky, medium-sized, short-haired dog. The coat is smooth and fawn or brindled, with or without white markings. Boxers are brachycephalic , and have a square muzzle, mandibular prognathism , very strong jaws and a powerful bite ideal for hanging on to...
belonging to the ROTC Colonel Victor Domenech. This became the first “Colegio” team mascot.
When the first bulldog or Tarzán I arrived in 1950 the university received him with an ROTC and Marching band parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
with the attendance of the entire university. He was tended to in a particular manner; a cage was prepared under a mango tree and the freshmen students had to venerate the dog. A year later Tarzán I died of asphyxiation, victim of a bone he swallowed. Immediately after the demise of the first Tarzan, the students began a collection to replace the unfortunate original. So that Tarzán II would receive better care, he was placed under the custody of don Enrique Huyke, his meritorious work continued until 1975, year when the professor retired.
This second Tarzán came to the campus from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
when he had only eight weeks of life. The third and fourth stemmed from the kindness of Mr John Wiburn and his wife of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The fifth and sixth Tarzans were a gift from one of the Social Fraternities on campus.
Tarzán X
The current mascot; Tarzán X arrived December 2003 from a family of champion dogs raised in the State of Texas. The twin daughters of Díaz Piferrer; Margarita and Milagros have the task of taking care of the canine. According to Diaz Piferrer he even sleeps in their room with air conditioning. The dog was donated by the Alumni Association presided by Dr. Fred Soltero Harrington. Tarzán X was baptized in a mass celebrated by Father Edwin Lugo; the religious act was celebrated on January 3, 2003 in the Student Center Building. Tarzan X died on the 9th of July of 2011 of a heart attack.Tarzán Sculpture
The paper mache sculpture was created in 1967 a year after the Mayagüez Campus gained it administrative autonomy from the University of Puerto RicoUniversity of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
. Tarzan II died and there was no mascot for the “Justas” or Inter University Games. Thus about 15 art students and athletes began to work on the sculpture. They decided to make a dog with chicken wire
Chicken wire
Chicken wire, or poultry netting, is a mesh of wire commonly used to fence poultry livestock. It is made of thin, flexible galvanized wire, with hexagonal gaps...
and cover it with Papier-mâché
Papier-mâché
Papier-mâché , alternatively, paper-mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste....
and starch because they didn't get the money to buy paste; they also used cardboard to give more strength in some areas, among the students who helped was Antulio "Kobbo" Santarrosa.
The result was a huge sculpture with more than ten feet in height and eighty pounds in weight, it was painted in the traditional white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
and green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
Colegio color. The sculpture made its début on April 1967 when it entered the Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Hiram Bithorn Stadium is a baseball park in San Juan, Puerto Rico, operated by the municipal government of the city of San Juan. Its name honors the first Puerto Rican to play in the major leagues, Hiram Bithorn, who first played with the Chicago Cubs in 1942...
in front of the Mayagüez delegation to the Justas. Yet the statue was mocked by the rival universities fans because it lacked an important part of its male anatomy. Still the university won that year and as soon as the games where over, the students started the task of adding that part of the anatomy to the dog, but in a very pronounced manner. The next year 1968, when the sculpture Tarzán entered the stadium none of the rival students yelled at the dog because nobody could doubt its masculinity.
The dog has gone thru various restorations; the first was in the seventies when the students decided to cover it with fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
for durability. This first restoration resulted in an increase in weight, now weighing 150 pounds. The Process also resulted in the bulldog having a more friendly facial expression. In 1985 it went thru another restoration, and yet another one in the nineties when its paint got a touch up. Other fixes included the installation of wire nets in the nose because in two occasions beehives made the orifices home.
Presently the sculpture rarely leaves the campus and it is usually located in front of the Student Center, nevertheless on special occasions the Paper Tarzán is dressed in gala. As is the case of the graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
when he is dressed in academic regalia
Academic dress
Academic dress or academical dress is a traditional form of clothing for academic settings, primarily tertiary education, worn mainly by those that have been admitted to a university degree or hold a status that entitles them to assume them...
wearing an Academic cap and Medals as if he were another graduate and is placed in front of the Rafael A. Mangual Coliseum
Rafael A. Mangual Coliseum
The Rafael A. Mangual Coliseum is a sports arena in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. It was inaugurated in 1974 and was designed by Henry Klumb. The Coliseum is managed by the Physical Education Department of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez.-Events:...
where the graduation takes place. As soon as the students are declared graduates they head out to take a picture with the Paper Tarzán.
Jane
In 1976 don Luis a. Vilanova donated the first female bulldog baptized with the name of Jane.Most of the "Janes" have perished because of cardiac complications. The last dog to bare the name Jane VIII, the partner of Tarzán X died in 2008 giving birth.