Billiken man, mascot for St. Louis University. The original Billiken was created by art teacher and illustrator Florence Pretz.

Last night my husband and I stumbled across a televised basketball game between the St. Louis University Billikens and the University of Richmond Spiders.

Billikens? Whaaat? And then a camera shot of the mysterious and rather freaky-looking mascot. What followed then was a flurry of internet research.

Here is what we discovered: According to legend, the creature was the brainchild of Kansas City art teacher and illustrator Florence Pretz, who taught at Manual Training High School for many years. Evidently, she “got the inspiration for Billiken in 1896 while looking at a collection of grouchy looking gods belonging to Miss Floy Campbell of the art department at the school. They brought to Miss Pretz’s mind the idea of fashioning a god who would smile and bring to his worshippers cheer instead of gloom,” or at least so it was said in an article published in the Chicago Daily Tribune on February 14, 1912. Some say the little goblin came to Florence in a dream, and that later she chose to name her vision Billiken after a character in an 1896 poem entitled Mr. Moon: A Song Of The Little People by Canadian poet Bliss Carman.

High school art teacher Florence Pretz, creator of the Billiken.

In its original form, the Billiken was an elephant-like creature with tapered ears, short arms, an impish smile, and a tuft of hair growing on the top of his pointed head. He was depicted sitting with his legs outstretched in front of him and the soles of his oversized feet clearly visible. Over the decades, the Billiken has morphed into the fellow you see above.

Anyway, despite his original bizarre appearance, the Billiken was an instant hit, becoming a good-luck charm that enjoyed popularity worldwide. Eventually the creature became known as “The God of Things as They Ought to Be.” As a result of her success with Billiken, Florence gave up her teaching position, moved to Chicago, and became the illustrator of a number of short stories written about a group of Billikens. These stories were published in the Canadian periodical Canada West, where their lighthearted antics delighted the reading public.

Alas, after only a few years of popularity, the Billiken faded into obscurity. Unless, of course, you happen to have a connection with the University of St. Louis. Then you come across the mischievous little mascot all the time.