Billiken

Although there continues to be some mystery as to how it happened, the Billiken has been the nickname for Saint Louis University's athletic teams since 1911, allegedly because the physique of the football coach at that time, John Bender, resembled a Billiken.

Tobias Winright: What's In A School Name And Mascot? Tobias Winright 2011

Although there continues to be some mystery as to how it happened, the Billiken has been the nickname for Saint Louis University's athletic teams since 1911, allegedly because the physique of the football coach at that time, John Bender, resembled a Billiken.

Tobias Winright: What's In A School Name And Mascot? Tobias Winright 2011

Although there continues to be some mystery as to how it happened, the Billiken has been the nickname for Saint Louis University's athletic teams since 1911, allegedly because the physique of the football coach at that time, John Bender, resembled a Billiken.

Tobias Winright: What's In A School Name And Mascot? Tobias Winright 2011

But the Billiken is a philosopher, and doesn't care; and the

The Garden of the Plynck Karle Wilson Baker 1919

You see, she always called the Teddy-Bear the Brown Teddy-Bear because the Billiken was his first cousin, and had a white Teddy-Bear body; it was only their colors and their heads that were different.

The Garden of the Plynck Karle Wilson Baker 1919

Oh, yes, -- and their dispositions; for the Billiken was a supremely cheerful person, while the Brown Teddy-Bear was a misanthrope.

The Garden of the Plynck Karle Wilson Baker 1919

• An old-school candy brand in Argentina, Billiken, needed an urgent injection of innovation.

Naomi Troni: Momentum Motors Naomi Troni 2011

But the Robinsons took it a step further, signing up Michelle's father, Fraser III, as a member of a Billiken branch club called the "Willing Workers" before his second birthday.

Megan Smolenyak: Michelle Obama's Ancestors: LaVaughn Johnson Megan Smolenyak 2012

In 1923, the Chicago Defender created the Bud Billiken Club to promote the betterment of African American children in Chicago by encouraging pride and celebrating values and qualities such as health, scholarship, and a strong work ethic.

Megan Smolenyak: Michelle Obama's Ancestors: LaVaughn Johnson Megan Smolenyak 2012

• An old-school candy brand in Argentina, Billiken, needed an urgent injection of innovation.

Naomi Troni: Momentum Motors Naomi Troni 2011