The mascot for Tulane University is named Riptide. Riptide is a brown pelican, which is the state bird of Louisiana. The pelican was chosen as the mascot because of its cultural significance in the region and its connection to the university's location in New Orleans. The pelican is a symbol of resilience, as it is known to be adaptable and able to weather storms. The name Riptide represents the university's determination to succeed and overcome challenges. Riptide is often seen at Tulane athletic events and other university gatherings, where it serves as a symbol of school spirit and pride.
Tanner was only on the market for a year before being recalled, from 2006-07. As it turns out, the tiny plastic pieces of poop and the magnet in his pooper scooper were deemed possible choking hazards. (Also, maybe, just a little bit weird?) He was ultimately replaced in the Barbie canon by Taffy, another yellow lab.
He makes an appearance in Weird Barbie s house alongside his queer-coded counterpart from Palm Springs, and is played in the movie by English actor Tom Stourton. However, it wasn t quite enough to sway anyone, and the doll was ultimately discontinued -- but he makes a fun, if defensive, appearance in the Barbie movie, played by Welsh actor Rob Brydon.
Riptide is often seen at Tulane athletic events and other university gatherings, where it serves as a symbol of school spirit and pride..
Introducing Earring Magic Ken! He’s wearing a what as a necklace?
Last month, after a week of bidding I acquired one Earring Magic Ken doll. Mattel’s best selling Ken doll.
I know what you might be thinking. Thomas you are an adult, why on earth are you buying a Ken doll? And moreover why is that relevant to your blog?
Disregarding the fact, that I still have several Barbies from when I was a young lass. Earring Magic Ken is special, because he was inadvertently designed off of queer rave fashion of the early 1990s. Specifically, he’s wearing a cock ring as a necklace, which was a known queer fashion statement at the time.
Earring Magic Ken
After reaching out to their audience of young children Mattel learned they would like a new Ken doll to be cooler and more hip. So they went out looking for what was cool and as it happened the queer fashion worming its way into the mainstream was what they picked up as cool. Columnist Dan Savage wrote an article in 1993, the year the doll came out, detailing a really excellent explanation of what was going on. I would highly recommend it as reading for anyone interested in learning more.
“Cock rings exploded (ouch!)—as vest zipper pulls, as key rings, as bracelets; rubber ones, leather ones, chain ones. But the thick chrome variety, the Classic Coke of cock rings, was and is most often worn as a pendant,” (Savage).
In 2017, Savage said in an article by Bryan Young, that he thought the “Earring Magic Ken incident [was] more of an amusing cultural blip than some kind of important moment, noting that neither the doll nor the hubbub is well-known today,” and that he didn’t think that a gay man under 40 would know about it. Well, it’s 2019 and I’m 25, so here we are.
Now I’m a queer historian so I am well aware that I’m an outlier here, because I seek out this kind of stuff. However, I discovered Earring Magic Ken through a decently popular post on Tumblr. A post which currently has over 270,000 notes. That’s no small amount of people and I’m sure many of them, like myself, are on the younger side of things. With projects like Making Queer History and books like “Queer, There and Everywhere” emerging, younger members of the LGBTQ community are getting more and more access to their history. As a result, fascinating tidbits like Earring Magic Ken are resurfacing.
The Tumblr post does admittedly have some misinformation attached to it. There’s a reblog that says that there was no corresponding Barbie for Earring Magic Ken. There were two actually, a blonde and a brunette Barbie as well as a Midge doll, they just didn’t sell particularly well opposite Ken, who flew off the shelves.
Below, I have linked two different iterations of the Tumblr post, as well as a link to the Dan Savage article, the Bryan Young article and a few others.
As always, if you enjoy my content, please considering buying be a Kofi or supporting me on Patreon.
Ultimately, Savage thinks the Earring Magic Ken incident is more of an amusing cultural blip than some kind of important moment, noting that neither the doll nor the hubbub is well-known today. "I don't think a gay man under 40 would even know what we we're talking about," he said.
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Reviews for "The Cultural Significance of Tulabe's Mascot: Connecting Generations and Preserving Heritage"
- Emma - 2/5 Stars - As someone who is passionate about mascots, I was disappointed by the lack of creativity in "What is the mascot for tulabe". The storyline was predictable and the characters were underdeveloped. I was hoping for something that would capture my imagination and make me feel excited, but unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. I wouldn't recommend it to fellow mascot enthusiasts.
- John - 1/5 Stars - I found "What is the mascot for tulabe" to be incredibly boring and uninteresting. The plot was weak and the writing felt amateurish. I struggled to connect with the characters and I had to force myself to keep reading until the end. Overall, it was a waste of time and I regret choosing this book.
- Sarah - 3/5 Stars - While "What is the mascot for tulabe" had some potential, it just didn't live up to my expectations. The concept was intriguing, but the execution fell short. The pacing was slow and the story lacked depth. However, the illustrations were well done and the book's message was positive. It may be more enjoyable for younger readers, but I personally found it to be a mediocre read.
- James - 2/5 Stars - I was hoping that "What is the mascot for tulabe" would provide a unique and entertaining reading experience, but unfortunately, it failed to deliver. The plot was predictable and the characters were one-dimensional. I found myself skimming through the pages just to get to the end. Overall, it was a forgettable book that didn't leave a lasting impression.