It appears on signs in the fall, is written on people’s shirts at football games and is declared in tweets in support of the university. Throughout the years, the term “Bobkitten” has become a staple of Ohio University school spirit.
Current Bobkittens can look to the past for the roots of their label. While Rufus now stands alone at OU events, he once had a partner-in-crime: the short-skirted, spirited Bobkitten.
It began with the residents of the all-female Howard Hall creating a companion to the newly formed Bobcat. Starting in 1968 with the first Bobkitten, Francesca Feria, the Bobkitten was born, according to Betty Hollow’s Ohio University: The Spirit of a Singular Place.
Paige Barnes, a sophomore studying theater management, said she heard about the mascot from her father.
“From what I read about the Bobkitten, she was a way for women on campus to be accepted,” she said. “She was really created for gender equality. I think it’s great and fun.”
A female mascot may have played a role in helping women connect with the spirit of OU, especially during a time when women didn’t have much access to playing sports themselves.
“It’s very important that a school’s fan base can identify and connect with a mascot,” said Ian Dougherty, a sophomore studying sports education. “It’s used as a way to hype up the crowd and as a way for the crowd to fuel whatever team is playing, because that’s huge, especially in college sports. And to do that, the mascot has to be a figure that the crowd thinks is important, and is something that they love.”
The Bobkitten disappeared for a while, before the responsibility of performing the character switched to the women of Chi Omega in 1976, when the role of the mascot was shared between the women. Mary Vaughn, a member of the OU class of 1981, remembers that Bobkitten regulars were excited to take on the job.
“The sorority was really proud to have resurrected the Bobkitten after it had left campus for the first time,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn, who played the Bobkitten as part of a rotation, said that while she did not enjoy playing the part, many women took pride in riling up school spirit.
"The thing I remember most about being the Bobkitten was that in wearing that head, no one saw your facial expressions,” she said. “After one game, I realized it was really not my thing. (But) the ladies who were Bobkitten regulars seemed to really enjoy it.”
However, the need for and interest in the Bobkitten seemed to wane as women became more involved in athletics, and she disappeared in the mid-1990s, according to an article in Ohio Today.
While the mascot itself may not have stuck, the term lives on and has expanded to many different definitions. Being a Bobkitten is a point of pride for many students, and the appeal of the colloquialism is that it can mean many different things to different people.
Although the term has evolved to have various meanings, two common definitions have risen above the rest. While some believe Bobkitten refers to any OU freshman, others see the term taking on a gender distinction role.
But for a term to stick, it has to have versatility, and people have to be able to connect to it, said OU English Department Chairwoman Marsha Dutton.
“There’s something about wanting to be charming, and knowing (a term) is going to be catchy or cute and appealing in that way,” Dutton said. “And obviously, it worked (with Bobkitten).”
In a college setting, terms like Bobkitten catch on partly because of shared space and experiences, Dutton said.
“Especially in a place like a university where it’s an isolated social situation, it’s easy for these kinds of terms to catch on,” Dutton said. “It’s isolated enough that the language will spread, especially if it’s clever.”
The evolution of the word Bobkitten is a perfect example, she said.
“In the first place, Bobkitten points to the way language starts to mean something and then develops to mean many different things, so you can start with an individual term and people can pick up and take it in many different directions,” Dutton said.
And while many OU women have adopted the term, Amanda Hill, a freshman studying anthropology, said she doesn’t personally connect too much with the term, adding she only saw it used during orientation.
“(I haven’t) heard it very often,” Hill said. “I think using ‘Bobcats’ unites everyone, but I don’t see any issue with using Bobkitten either.”
On the other hand, sophomore Ellie Koewler interprets Bobkitten a little more traditionally. Unlike Hill, Koewler, who is studying anthropology, has adopted the concept of the Bobkitten into her everyday life.
“I use ‘Bobkitten’ all the time — pretty much daily,” Koewler said. “Meowing has become a way of greeting other Bobkittens. It’s a great way to break the ice when meeting new people, and most people love the term Bobkitten. It’s really catchy, even though it may seem silly.”
Despite the amount of time that has passed, the term Bobkitten still seems to increase connection to the school for OU attendees, the original intent of the mascot.
“I think it’s very important for all students to feel connected and proud of their school,” Koewler said. “More endearing terms like Bobkitten can help students who can’t relate to aggressive terms. For people like me who don’t care much for sports, using a ‘cuter’ word makes the event more interesting to watch. I feel more invested in the outcome if I can associate with the team.”
eb104010@ohiou.edu
