Tips for landing the role of Pete the Panther

Pete the Panther raises his paws with the crowd to cheer on the football team with his Panther family. Photo courtesy of Katie Bell

The true identity of Pete the Panther has been omitted at the request of the student in order to protect the “magic” of being Pete. 

Pete the Panther is more than someone dressed up in a fuzzy life-size Panther suit. For the Chapman community, he symbolizes the school spirit shared by the entire Panther family. 

Pete the Panther is Chapman’s long-time mascot, who is beloved by the student body for his funky dance moves, cat cuddles and his photogenic stance in photos with fellow Panthers. The athletic department is currently hiring new Petes and hopes to find students who will enthusiastically interact with the audience at football games and events. 

Having made his first appearance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic at this year’s homecoming game, Pete’s schedule is filling up again with in- person events. 

Cheerleader Megan Johnson, a senior business administration and strategic corporate communication double major, has the pleasure of sharing the stage with Pete during her cheer performances. She can feel the ecstatic energy from the crowd as Pete freestyles next to her team's human pyramid. 

Especially after the pandemic, Johnson said the crowd appears extra excited to watch Pete move to the rhythm of the cheerleaders' pom-poms. 

“It's especially (exciting) for the new students, because they have never seen (Pete) before,” Johnson said. “So, seeing him for the first time is amazing. And then also for the returners, like seniors and juniors, they probably have missed him so much.”

There is only one specific requirement a potential Pete must have: the genetic gift of height, meaning no shorter than 5 feet, 7 inches tall — so the suit is not baggy — and not much taller than 6 feet tall, so the student’s legs do not pop out of the bottom. 

However, according to Katie Bell, the administrative supervisor in the athletics department, height is not the only preferred characteristic in mind for a candidate. The biggest quality Bell looks for is passion and enthusiasm about the position. 

“If (candidates) come in really excited about it, then I know that it's gonna be a good fit,” Bell said. “(One guy) had actually watched ‘mascot do and don'ts’ videos on YouTube beforehand. So, he had done research. Another student that came in wanted to start a Pete the Panther Instagram, so it's honestly just their enthusiasm level.”

The current Pete the Panther, who will remain anonymous to keep the “magic” of Pete alive, told The Panther that to land the role, applicants should “have a good attitude and good energy” as well as be willing to interact with and take pictures with fans.

Although Pete must also interact with cheerleaders, he does not have to dance and do the splits while wearing the iconic fuzzy costume. He just needs to throw himself into the energy of the spectacle, and his movements will naturally come. 

“The cheerleaders have a ton more energy, so I kind of just tried to match it and just walked around with a little pep in my step,” Pete said. “I had a tail. So, I was shaking my butt trying to get the tail to move.”

When Pete is not moving around shaking his tail, he is being assisted by a “handler,” since he can only see out of the nose of the suit. Normally, a cheerleader will escort him on and off the field.

If he needs a snack or some water, Bell will be sure to bring it to him. However, Pete said it is best to go into a shift of being the mascot already well-nourished with optimal endurance for all the physical cheering. 

A day in the life of Pete also includes lots of sweating from being trapped in a large panther-shaped blanket for three hours. Luckily, Bell gets the Panther suit dry-cleaned after every use, so wearers won’t put it on and think they’re suffocating in a bowl of sweat.  

“Getting into the suit wasn't necessarily one of the harder parts,” Pete said. “It was finding somebody willing to help me take it off after I had been covered in sweat. I had a group of cheerleaders who were helping me out in the beginning, and they were like, ‘I just don't want to deal with this. This is so much sweat back here.’ I'm like, ‘You're telling me, I'm dying.’” 

But the reward of seeing all the smiling faces is worth the sweat, according to the current Pete. People love Pete and treat him like an old friend. Many go say ‘hi’ to Pete simply to receive a big Panther hug, take a selfie or exchange a high-five with their pal. 

“At homecoming. Pete and his handler both said they probably took like thousands of photos, sometimes with the same group of people,” Bell said.

Not only does the person playing Pete get paid in smiles, they also get paid in capital as the position is paid, if someone has a Federal Work-Study grant. 

The current Pete thinks that playing Chapman mascot is an all around amazing job and would recommend it to anyone with a fun-loving personality. 

“Just go into it thinking of it as an opportunity,” Pete said. “Nobody knows who you are. So, you get to just have fun with it and just walk around and play the character.” 

For more information about working as Pete the Panther, email Katie Bell at kabell@chapman.edu.