Josephine Victoria Bruin

The original mascot was represented by bear cubs. In 1924, students chose a more threatening name grizzly bear. In 1926 the name was changed to the “Bruins” and UC Berkeley called its mascot the Bears. UCLA used live bears as mascots, which entertained the home crowd at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The bears were given various names, but “Joe Bruin” endured over time. Costumed student mascots have represented Joe Bruin since the mid-1960s. The design for the costume bear changed again in 1996 from a smiling bruin to the current one.