Minnetonka High School has had its fair share of mascots in the past. Today, MHS is known for Skipper the Sailor, but history has seen a couple other faces represent the student body. While we can’t be sure what the future of MHS will look like, here is a peek at what the past has held for Minnetonka’s mascots.

Believe it or not, Minnetonka’s first mascot was an octopus named Oscar! Oscar was made up by the student body in the early 50s when the school started. In the beginning, he was just a stuffed animal that students would prop up at games and fill with old nylons, but eventually he was even in the school anthem. In the 2018 alumni magazine Scott Merriwether, ‘68, recalls, “I remember using my ‘green pea’ VW bug in the ‘67 homecoming parade, depicting our mascot Oscar […] to this day, I still can’t remember whose legs were sticking out the windows that night.” This may seem a little confusing considering the school’s geographic location, but Oscar was truly an icon.

Skip the Duck was not able to take the main stage much as Oscar had, as he was only the mascot for a few years in the late 80s. Skip became the mascot by popular vote against Toot the Tugboat, Skipper the Sailor, and Skippy the Sea Serpent. Skip the Duck has been proposed by many students to make a return, but the Skipper has not yet been demoted.

Today we have Skipper the Sailor, and over the years there have been many thoughts on whether or not he is right for Minnetonka High School. There have been efforts in the past to change the mascot; in the 90s, there was an anonymous vote to change the nickname but the student body voted to keep the Skippers. Maybe he is right for our nautical school spirit, or maybe it’s time for a new waterborne character to emerge.