website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown,
Wisconsin
Watertown Gosling Mascot Retires
Watertown
Daily Times. 11 16 2007
Watertown
may be the only city in the nation that claims the Mighty
Gosling as a high school mascot. In 2007 the then current Gosling mascot
suit was thought to have been used for the previous 25 years and was placed
into retirement.
The
Watertown Athletic Booster Club spearheaded a project to replace the mascot
suit with a brand new Gosling.
The
Gosling tradition dates back to the 1800s when the
Watertown Gosling was well-known up and down the East Coast. Geese raised by local German farmers were specially fed
to produce fattened livers. The livers were turned into pate, a delicacy found
on the menus of fashionable restaurants in many cities. A menu in New York City
would entice customers to the finest liver pate from the Watertown Gosling.
Such advertising made the city famous from coast to coast.
Many
might ask what is fierce and competitive about a baby goose. These creatures
are tenacious and fearlessly take on any foe. Inside their bills are little
sharp teeth that serve well in defending themselves. Gosling athletes do well
to model this never-give-up attitude against fierce competition.
The
Gosling mascot is found in the first high school yearbook, The Orbit, in 1913. The teams were known as the Goslings during the
1920s and 1930s. The
familiar drawing of the Watertown Gosling was first created by former art
teacher James Ptaschinski in 1961. The Gosling has
been modified over the years and appeared on jackets, book covers, tote bags
and other memorabilia.