(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – While the Mules and Jennies mascots continue to play a prominent role in the University of Central Missouri’s campus culture, staff members in University Relations took advantage of April 1 to play a practical joke aimed at engaging its social media audience. The April Fools Day announcement named the Squirrel as the university’s new mascot.

“Of course the university has no intention of changing the name of its current mascot,” said Courtney Tripp, manager of new media and communication. “This time of year, the squirrel gets a lot of attention because the population is so thick around campus. You see them everywhere. So, we used April 1 as an opportunity to poke fun at what has become an ‘unofficial mascot.’ It’s simply a way to engage our growing social media audience.”

She noted that the April Fools activity also provided an opportunity for student designers and writers to use their creativity, and get some hands-on experience. They created special logos and other special marks that incorporated a cartoon-like squirrel into the design. Those items were shared via Facebook and Twitter, which linked to an online news release that announced the new mascot.

“From the byline by ‘April Furste’ to references to ‘April Fools Day,’ and other winks to the reader, we wanted to make it clear this was just for fun,” Tripp said. “Mules and Jennies mascots are beloved and here to stay.”