LINCOLN, Neb. (KCAU) — The Nebraska Huskers have released a redesign of the Herbie Husker logo. The new mascot will be seen in the coming weekend.

Nebraska Athletics unveiled the new modernized version Monday. The return of Herbie Huskers comes as Nebraska celebrates the 50th year of Herbie Husker. An announcement video was also made.

The release states that Nebraska Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Trev Alberts and University leaders wanted to embrace tradition and the agricultural background of the state.

“Herbie Husker has been one of the iconic symbols of Nebraska Athletics for nearly 50 years,” Alberts said. “Our fans are passionate about all things related to the Huskers, and they have a particular fondness for Herbie. We are excited to present modernized Herbie Husker marks and logos and thrilled to unveil our new Herbie mascot at Saturday’s spring game.”

Herbie Husker first came during a trip to the Cotton Bowl in the 1973 season. Artist Dirk West designed a Cornhusker cartoon for the Cotton Bowl press headquarters, the release said. A Nebraska official later contacted West to ask for permission to use the cartoon. West reworked the cartoon and the new character first appeared on the cover of the 1974 Nebraska Football media guide. Herbie Husker was then updated in 2003, representing the Cornhuskers for two decades.

Director of Licensing Lonna Henrichs and Spirit Squad Head Coach Erynn Butzke started to work on new logos in January 2022 with Torch Creative. The focus during the process was to digitally update Herbie.

A new football-specific version of the new Herbie Husker logo.

“We have the ultimate respect for their passion for Cornhusker Athletics and worked to match this enthusiasm in creating a more contemporary look for Herbie yet harkens back to the original 1974 version,” Torch Creative said. “Much like that iteration, we hope the modern Herbie continues to represent the heritage of the university and its passionate fanbase.”

In addition to updating Herbie, there are also 10 sport-specific Herbies for varsity programs. The Athletics also updates its marks for Lil’ Red and the Blackshirts.

The updated Herbie Husker mascot will make his first public appearance at Saturday’s Red-White Spring Game.