Willie the Wildcat Sports a Fresh New Look

Daemen has given one of its most beloved characters a sporty new look, with a redesign of the university’s mascot, Willie the Wildcat.

The new Willie is the brainchild of Daemen junior and Animation major, Annamarie Pope. She has performed as Willie since her first year at Daemen, wearing an off-the-shelf costume that was a bit long in the tooth. Mike Miranto, senior associate athletic director for communications

and operations at Daemen, says Pope came to his department with the idea of a new mascot costume that she would design and create.

“We thought Annamarie’s idea for a new design was amazing, and, working from our Wildcat logo, she created a mascot that is truly reflective of our brand,” Miranto explains. “Her experience performing as Willie enabled her to make the costume much more functional and comfortable for the performer.”

A native of Connecticut, Pope says she came to Daemen because of the reputation of the school’s animation program. She explains that Willie’s new look combines her life-long love of dance, sculpture, and costume design with elements of her animation skills honed at Daemen.

“I made my first puppet in middle school and have had a side gig creating mascot-like costumes since I was in high school, so the remaking of Willie was natural,” Pope says. “My knowledge of animation helped inspire a character that I describe as a little shy, but chill. Willie is a lot of fun.”

Pope invested more than 100 hours into bringing the new Willie to life. She designed the costume with lighter-weight, soft fabrics, and separate parts for ease of movement and less heat build-up. Look for Willie – played by Annamarie Pope – at Daemen sporting events, student activities, and other campus functions.