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SLU's Mascot: The Billiken

Saint Louis University's Good Luck Charm Inspires a Better World

Saint Louis University’s unique mascot brings more than team spirit. The Billiken is a mythical figure representing “things as they ought to be” — on campus and wherever he’s found.

But the Billiken is more than a mascot, and at SLU, every member of the community is a Billiken. 

Learn how the Billiken got his beginnings and what he means at Saint Louis University today.

Billikens — aka SLU students, alumni, faculty and staff — show up and stand up for others and for what is right. They embrace hard work and innovation. And their welcoming SLU spirit makes campus a place where everyone can belong.

Read on for the history behind the Billiken.

So, what is a Billiken?

Before the Billiken was Saint Louis University's mascot, he was a national sensation in the early 1900s. His figure was reproduced as dolls, marshmallow candies, metal banks, hatpins, pickle forks, belt buckles, auto-hood ornaments, salt and pepper shakers and more.

The legend is: To buy a Billiken gives the purchaser luck, but to have one given to you is better luck.

Who invented the Billiken?

Billiken Logomark

Florence Pretz, a Missouri art teacher and illustrator, patented her Billiken design in 1908.

It is believed that Pretz was inspired by “The Rubaiyat,” a well-known poem at the time, to create the elfin figure. She apparently found the name Billiken in a poem by the Canadian poet Bliss Carman and gave the name to her patented design, which she sold to the Billiken Company of Chicago.

It is not confirmed whether the firm acquired its name from the Billiken or whether it was an established name before the company bought the rights to Pretz's invention.

When did the Billiken become SLU's mascot?

No one is sure exactly when the Billiken first became linked to SLU.

Several popular stories tie the Billiken to John Bender, a law student who took over coaching SLU's football team in 1910, and his resemblance to the cheery good-luck symbol. According to one, a cartoonist drew a caricature of the coach in the form of a Billiken and posted it in the window of a local drugstore. The football team soon became known as "Bender's Billikens."

The Billiken is a mythical good-­luck figure who represents 'things as they ought to be.'"

Another version of the story says that Billy Gunn, who ran a drugstore near Saint Louis University, was responsible for linking the Billiken to SLU. According to a 1946 obituary, "Coach Bender walked into Mr. Gunn's drugstore one afternoon and was greeted by the proprietor with: 'Bender, you're a real Billiken!' William O'Connor, a noted sportswriter who was there, took up the name for Bender, and eventually the University teams became known as the Billikens."

Billiken Statue outside of Chaifetz Arena

A statue of the Billiken sits outside SLU's Chaifetz Arena. Rub his belly for good luck.

Where else is the Billiken found?

  • SLU is the only university to claim the Billiken as its mascot. He's a good luck charm in other parts of the world, though.
  • In Osaka, Japan, a wooden Billiken statue sits in Tsutenkaku Tower, where visitors rub his feet for good luck. In Alaska, the Inuit carve the Billiken into good-luck charms. In Argentina, it is the name of the world's longest-running children's magazine. And on the south side of Chicago, the school year can't start without the annual Bud Billiken Parade.