The mischaracterization of the gopher began with a political cartoon by R.O. Sweeny, according to a 1997 Star Tribune article. The 1857 cartoon depicted humanized gophers – which were actually ...

So, why is the gopher Minnesota's state mascot? Good question. "It's because of a cartoon," says Lori Williamson of the Minnesota Historical Society. The political cartoon dates back to 1858 ...

While he worked at the company, Grooms designed the first gopher mascot. At that time, many colleges were opting to use cartoon-like mascots and Grooms designed many of them. Steve Grooms said his ...