Purdue Pete Purdue Pete is a mascot of Purdue University . Despite his visible and constant on - field presence at Purdue sporting events , Pete is not the official mascot of the university . The official mascot of Purdue is the Boilermaker Special . History . Purdue Pete was first designed as a logo by the University Bookstore in 1940 . They would put it on their products and portray him dressed up in different clothes for the different majors . He got the Purdue part of his name from Purdue University . The owners of the bookstores gave him the name “ Pete ” , yet no one officially knows why this was chosen to be his name . He was given a physical identity in 1956 as he came out and helped the students cheer at a pep rally . Over the years , the appearance of Purdue Pete has gone under several drastic changes as well as several minor changes . His original head was made of paper - mâché , pasted onto a chicken wire frame . This was very inconvenient for the person who would be underneath because it would limit his movements , yet he was still expected to move around and do stunts . This head was changed to a giant fiberglass head where the person inside would use a harness to support it . This was unpractical due to the sheer size of it . In the 1980s , Purdue Pete acquired the appearance he is now associated with . Proposals to switch to a soft - sculpture costume were rejected in 2006 and 2011 . Design of Purdue Pete . Purdue Pete ’ s uniforms are old gold and black , which are Purdue ’ s school colors . The hammer that Purdue Pete carries is an icon that signifies him as a boilermaker . Back in the days of the boilermakers , they would use large mallets to mold the steel into boilers or pipes or even bridges . The hammer is also a symbol of strength , power , and the determination it took to be a boilermaker . Purdue Pete ’ s hardhat only helps solidify this image in the minds of anyone who sees him . Purdue Pete being identified as a boilermaker helps connect him with his fellow Purdue Boilermakers in the stands . Purdue Pete ’ s giant head could be something used to draw attention to him , which helps him get the fans pumped up . Purdue Pete could be seen as a symbol . He is recognized as being a Boilermaker . Yet , underneath his big , iconic head , he is just a student . This is symbolic of the fact that we are also Boilermaker on the inside . Since we can ’ t see who is underneath , it allows the audience to put themselves in his place . The current head utilizes a fiberglass frame , but is much smaller and lighter than previous designs because it is made primarily of a composite . The newest head of Pete was designed and created by students in the Aeronautical Engineering Technology department . This is also the same department that designed the Boilermaker X - tra Special . They make several heads over the course of the year . They also fix the heads when they get damaged , whether from use or bumping into things . When the department gives the heads to the four Purdue Pete students , the heads are covered in the flesh - colored paint . It is up to the four people who portray Purdue Pete to paint the eyes and glue on the hair . Redesign of Purdue Pete . Purdue attempted to redesign Purdue Pete ' s costume due to concerns that the oversize head was perceived as scary by younger fans , as well as the transfer of the original designer and customizer of the Purdue Pete heads , Professor Raymond Thompson , to Dubai Aerospace university . However , since a leak of the redesigned Purdue Pete , the redesign has been met with outrage and criticism . 2008 graduate and former Purdue Pete actor John Langenkamp criticized the full body suit for being potentially very uncomfortable , and being too drastic a visual change from the previous design . Longtime John Purdue Club donor and member Bill Donovan kept most of his donations earmarked for Purdue Pete , but chose not to contribute more after the redesign of Purdue Pete . The redesign plans for Purdue Pete involve no jersey , a full body suit rather than just a head , and no hammer . At the spring 2011 Black & Gold game , despite a 67 yard field goal by a junior Carson Wiggs , the loudest fan reaction was to boo the redesigned mascot . On April 13 , 2011 , Purdue decided to restore the old Purdue Pete mascot design . Function of Purdue Pete . Purdue Pete goes to all of the football games , and the home basketball games , as well as the tournaments such as the Big Ten Bowl Games and the NCAA . Purdue Pete also makes appearances at softball , soccer , and baseball home games , but he doesn ’ t stay for the whole games . At the events , Purdue Pete gets the fans riled up and helps them cheer our teams to victory . He also does several skits during the games . At the basketball games , Pete does his surfing skit where he gets people to lay down on the ground and he rides a surfboard over top of them . The Purdue Petes also do several of their own made up stunts . This allows the different Petes , who all have unique personalities , to put their own touches into the performance . It typically takes about ten minutes to get completely dressed up before the games . Purdue Pete wears a basketball jersey to the basketball games and is fully decked out with football jersey and pads for the football games . He also wears his football outfit as his main clothing of choice . Besides games , Purdue Pete also goes to numerous social events . He has been to grand - openings for companies around the West Lafayette area . He goes to tailgates before games and special alumni events . If you are a special donor to the school or are visiting in the Presidential game box , you can probably expect to see Pete make a visit to the box . Although the football outfit is his main clothing style , he can wear other things for special appearances , as long as you can find clothes that fit him . For a banquet to welcome the new president of Purdue , France A . Córdova , they got Purdue Pete a tuxedo to wear . Aside from these general events , you can also request to have Purdue Pete , and / or the spirit squad , come to another event , even a birthday . All you need to do is fill out a form online . Eligibility . According to Arthur Smith , a spirit coordinator , " essentially anyone could be Purdue Pete " , although the people who have been chosen to be Purdue Pete in the past have all been about six feet tall and weighed around one hundred and sixty pounds . Hundreds of people try out to be Purdue Pete , but only the four most qualified students are chosen in order to distribute the time and effort required . In order to keep the role of Purdue Pete , students have to pass drug tests and physicals and must maintain at least a 2 . 0 GPA . They are also required to go to study hall for about four hours a week . A professor has never been Purdue Pete , although there have been some requests to be Pete for a day to experience what it ’ s like . Media . Purdue Pete was recently featured in the StubHub commercial " Fantasy Football " .