When UNI fans come in contact with TK the mascot, they find a sassy, confident, cute kitten who complements her older brother TC perfectly. Making her debut during Homecoming 2010, TK is celebrating her 15th birthday this fall! 

“At the time we brought TK into existence, it just felt right,” said longtime UNI employee Connie Hansen, who created the concept and crafted the very first suit. 

While students in the program competed at a national mascot competition, Hansen noticed some schools had not one mascot, but two. She started to see some of the benefits of having two different people who could simultaneously wear the suit.

“As the mom of a girl, the representation of having a female mascot was important to me,” she said. “I’m also an elementary education alum from UNI, so I love little kids. I noticed a lot of little kids were scared of TC because he’s so big. So the idea of having a mascot who was a little smaller and less intimidating was also appealing to me.” 

This was not the first time other mascots had accompanied TC. For example, a second cat would sometimes pop up at high-attendance games in the 1980s. But Hansen wanted to help create a longer lasting complementary figure.

Before UNI could start fundraising for a second mascot, Hansen had to prove the effort would be worth it. Using an old TC suit, Hansen began sewing together a smaller, female version over the course of a weekend. Her daughter, in junior high at the time, served as a model.

Next, there was a contest on campus to name the secondary mascot. Hansen developed a few possible names, including TShe and TLC (The Little Cat).  The campus community voted. TK, short for “The Kitten,” took off as the runaway favorite.

Hansen thought it would be a good idea to launch the TK mascot — including the new name — at the Homecoming football game in 2010. She connected with student employee Lindsey Rhodes (now Lindsey Leonard) and asked if she’d be willing to get in suit. Rhodes, a former cheerleader, was happy to help, following Hansen’s instructions to be a cuter, sassier mascot.

On October 23, 2010, TK made her debut at halftime of the Homecoming football game in the UNI-Dome. As Hansen recalls it, the crowd went wild. In fact, TK was so caught up in the moment that Hansen had to call her by her real first name — a major no-no for mascots — to get her attention to come off the field when the football team got back in formation.

 “I got an email from two coaches the week after we introduced her, and they both said they wanted her at every single one of our home games,” said Hansen. “Imagine who they were:  Bobbi Peterson and Tanya Warren. They both loved having a female mascot and wanted her to show little girls they can do anything they want to do.”

Hansen then worked with a company to design a real TK head. 

“I wanted her to be softer and a little rounder,” said Hansen. “I wanted her to have really big, open, pretty eyes with the purple eyeshadow. And I wanted her to always have some kind of a bow in her hair, just so that she doesn't look just like TC. That’s my signature thing — I always wear some kind of headband or bow.”

UNI fundraised for the project, and TK secured her place in the UNI community. Soon, in addition to athletic and community events, TK attended weddings, birthday parties and more, quickly becoming embraced and beloved by Panther fans everywhere.

There are logistical benefits to having two mascots.

“It was very taxing for TC to be at everything,” said Hansen. “Our big pitch to students is not to get overly involved. So it was important for us to not overly involve TC as well.”

15 years later, one young fan is Hansen’s three-year-old granddaughter, Kenna. Just as Hansen had hoped all those years ago, Kenna finds TK to be easier to interact with.

“That was always my hope, that no child would be frightened and know this is a lovable, kind, caring representation of what I think our university is like,” Hansen explained. “UNI is a kind, warm place and builds really good community. So I wanted the mascots to always build community, and I got to watch that.”

After 37 years of working at UNI, it has occurred to Hansen that the creation of TK could end up being her legacy — and, if she does, she’s okay with that.

“It’s a good legacy to have.”