On Oct. 30, 2023, San Joaquin Delta College posted to their Instagram account, asking students for suggestions on how to improve our beloved mascot, Fierce the Mustang.
“Fierce first came to life to represent Delta College around 2014. Our trusty steed has looked the same ever since and is ready for a refresh,” said the post.
Students were able to comment on the post with their suggestions for a possibility to win a $25 Delta College Bookstore gift card.
Many comments suggested giving fierce a mane, while others suggested giving Fierce a friendly smile.
Though students still love Fierce, their look is definitely in need of an update. Updating their look would not just make them appear better, but it could lead to a better sense of identity for students, as our mascot becomes more distinct and recognizable.
“… It does look like it could be anybody. It doesn’t look like it could be a mascot. It could be… it looks like anybody in a costume,” said student Jasmine Doan, who had never actually seen Fierce until being shown a photo before the interview.
Student James Carey thinks that Fierce’s current design is fine, but giving them some Delta apparel, such as a sweater with the Delta College initials, could better associate them with the college. Though Fierce can sometimes be spotted at events wearing Delta College t-shirts, it isn’t a constant part of their look.
A reason that many suggest giving our mascot a mane or long tail is so that they can be more immediately recognized as a mustang, especially because they have been lovingly deemed the “Delta donkey” since their inception.
“Yeah, I don’t know what it’s supposed to be. When you first showed me, I didn’t know what I was looking at or what it was supposed to be,” said Doan.
Some students feel that Fierce needs to be more intimidating in order to better represent ourselves at sporting events.
“I mean, he doesn’t look vicious. He just looks like BoJack Horseman. He doesn’t look very mighty, I could say. Like how I feel like a mascot is supposed to look…,” said student Alexis Grayson.
Others have the opposite idea and think that Fierce’s design needs to be made cuter, so that students and the public find them more approachable.
Students Lucas Mizener and Tristan Horak feel that though a mustang mascot is a marketable choice, Fierce does not resemble the same cute design of their plushie counterparts found in the campus bookstore.
“He just doesn’t look approachable in his general design, but maybe we make him a little more sillier. I think that would be cool,” said Horak.
A way of improving his approachability and friendly look could be to add more padding to the mascot costume. In their current design, Fierce’s head is quite plush and padded, a contrast to the body of their costume which has no padding, distorting his overall proportions.
“I feel like if they even out his body a little bit more, like head to body ratio…,” said Horak.
With the hint of a redesign that came from Delta’s Instagram post during the Fall semester, it is hoped that a new and improved Fierce will be spotted out and about in the near future.