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 ...

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 ...

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 ...