Pennington Bear Unmasked
Illustration by Breanna Newburn
Article by Jayden Forsyth
NEWBERG, Ore. – Mascots, whether for professional sports teams, amusement parks or universities, conceal the identity of the person beneath the costume in order to protect the symbol of the character they play. While secrecy is the way mascots are designed, these icons sometimes have their covers blown.
George Fox University’s (GFU) very own Pennington Bear has come into suspicion as of late, with the mascot’s identity being all but confirmed as Dianne from the Canyon Commons front desk.
Dianne, an employee at GFU’s Canyon Commons, is beloved by many students. She often sports humorous or inspirational signs at her post in the cafeteria’s front check-in area and makes an effort to know the names of every student who enters.
With her gentle and easygoing demeanor, she has befriended many students. This calm, centered way of living is also the perfect disguise.
During his public appearances, Pennington Bear has been observed as erratic and wild, often running and performing hyperactive stunts. This is quite unlike the calm, peaceful Dianne that the students encounter at Canyon Commons.
Pennington Bear gives high fives, not hugs. Dianne speaks but Pennington Bear is mute. Clearly, Dianne is changing her behavior while under the mask in order to throw people off her trail.
The most convincing piece of evidence of all that Dianne is Pennington Bear was brought in anonymously by a GFU student. This student stated that they must go unnamed out of fear of being caught for distributing heinous conspiracies.
“I know this sounds insane, really, but you have to believe me,” said the anonymous source. “I mean, just think about it: When have you ever seen Pennington and Dianne in the same room together?”
This compelling piece of proof has sent waves through the GFU community, leading to the confrontation of Diane by many curious students; she eventually cracked under the pressure.
Dianne said, “I tell everyone that on Saturdays I’m hanging out with my grandkids, but really during that time I’m undercover as Pennington. So whenever students see Pennington Bear on Saturday, it’s me.”
This position was hired well by the university, as no one had any clue about the bear’s identity until now. Will Dianne continue as the mascot now that her identity has been revealed?
