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New Mascot and Athletics Visual Identity

Macalester’s New Mascot is Coo, the Highland Cow

Macalester is pleased to welcome Coo as our newest Scot and official mascot.

Throughout Macalester’s history, various mascots have come and gone. Pigs, ducks, and people have all represented the Scots. But, none of those “mascots” were created with a guiding set of principles and none were created with full community engagement. Macalester’s 150th anniversary in 2024 felt like a perfect time to create a visual symbol of the Macalester spirit. 

The Highland Cow, aka Heilan Coo, was selected with input from thousands of Macalester alumni, students, faculty and staff. Close to 7,500 people weighed in with their preferences throughout the spring semester of our sesquicentennial year. The feedback was then reviewed by the Mascot Selection Committee, composed of faculty, staff, students, and alumni. The committee deliberated over the results of the final feedback round, and ultimately decided the Highland Cow would become the mascot.

A Highland cow with long horns standing in a field, with an orange filter and Macalester shield over the image

During the initial submission process, when community members were asked to suggest ideas, the Highland Cow received the most mentions. “Hardy,” “Scottish” and “horns” were words that came up often, alluding to the competitive nature of our Scots. Many noted that Highland Cattle are both imposing as well as “steadfast” and loyal to their herd. The cattle also can be found all over the world, much like our alumni.

Macalester's mascot, Coo, waves while posing with a student in the Campus Center.

The Highland Cow costume was introduced at MacFest 2024. “Mac the Scot,” our previous mascot, retired to Scotland in August 2024, where he watched Macalester’s Pipe Band perform in the World Championships in Glasgow.

Athletics Identity

The selection of a new mascot was part of a complete overhaul of the athletics brand. Learn more about our athletics identity and view our new athletic marks on our visual identity guidelines page.

Guiding Principles

The Mascot Selection Committee followed a set of guiding principles to decide what the Scot’s mascot should look like:

  • Embodies a fierce and competitive spirit
  • Unifies the campus and larger community
  • Relevant across generations to Macalester experience or history
  • Works equally well for women’s and men’s sports teams
  • Can translate well visually
  • Is unique among our peer set and is not an established mark outside of our peer set