Published on 

March 1, 2024

Northeastern loves Paws. He loves Northeastern more.

A behind-the-scenes peek at the mascot, the TikTok star, the legend as he leads the Huskies cheering section at the Beanpot, celebrates his birthday and spreads love on campus.

by Schuyler Velasco

March 1, 2024

There’s joy. Then there’s jogging behind Paws, Northeastern University’s blue-eyed, slack-tongued Husky mascot, as he glides through the bowels of TD Garden.

You have to jog, to keep up. The (usually) tall, anthropomorphic canine is never still. Despite supporting the weight of mounds of artificial fur, shoes like hooves and a massive head, he moves with a shockingly brisk gait around the arena during the semifinal men’s hockey Beanpot matchup between Northeastern and Harvard in early February. 

“It’s easy to lose him,” says his student handler for the evening. At every event, the mascot is accompanied by a plainclothes human spotter to aid his movements.

Or it would be, without the selfies. As he makes his way to the Northeastern student fan section during the game’s first period — a delighted, high-pitched refrain of “PAAAWWS!” echoing through the halls around him — Paws gets stopped approximately every 3 seconds to pose for a photo. Unless you happen to be a Backstreet Boy or another beloved campus dog, you’ve probably never experienced so many strangers smiling at you all at once. 

“My literal dog!” one fan greets him. Paws high-fives, flirts and hugs the delighted crowd. He hungrily gestures toward someone’s chicken fingers. The line for photos grows; the mascot wraps his … paws around rowdy students (a few are crying), small children and parents alike. A group of women in Harvard sweatshirts shyly approaches. After huffing away in mock anger, he stops for them, too.

Such is the unifying power of Northeastern’s most rabidly (not that way) devoted ambassador. By the Paws credo, no one — even the most bitter sports enemy — should be precluded from a good time, though his allegiances are never in question. Prowling around the DogHouse, Paws leads in heckling the opposition and is the most devastated fan in the building when Harvard scores, banging his head against the concrete.

What does Paws mean to the Northeastern community? “What doesn’t he mean to me?” responds Tim Demling, a fifth-year data science major. “He just really gets you going. I’d give him anything.”

“I love him so much!” gushes student Allie Saff. “He’s a symbol of winning and he represents Northeastern. I’m so glad to see him.”

“He’s like a warm hug,” adds freshman Theresa Stronach.

That TD milieu is a good encapsulation of Paws’ main role: like any good mascot, he’s the ultimate personification of collective fan energy. During the Beanpot, Paws rushes around between the stands and the ice, where he skates with the players (he has both hockey and figure skating experience), stands for the national anthem, and dances to the Fall Out Boy song “Centuries.”  

But those who work closely with him say his star has grown even brighter in recent years, thanks to social media and increased visibility around the campus community beyond sports. Since 2022, he’s become a burgeoning TikTok star, with millions of views for his most popular videos. That added exposure has revealed new facets of his personality, interests and appeal.

“He goes all-in on pop culture,” says Cameron Sleeper, a senior social media video producer at Northeastern, who collaborates with Paws on TikTok. “If Taylor Swift ever releases ‘Reputation: Taylor’s version,’ he is ready. When ‘Barbie’ was huge, he made sure to capitalize on that.”

And 2024 may be Paws’ biggest year yet. The winter sports season is his busiest — he attends every home hockey and basketball game for both men and women, as well as postseason tournaments and a handful of away contests. But in addition to that packed regular schedule, the mascot is celebrating his 20th season as a member of Northeastern Athletics and embarking on a “Paws World Tour” around Northeastern’s global network of campuses starting this March. In this way, he’s become a fully-fledged representative for all facets of Northeastern life.

“He’s there for everybody,” Sleeper says.

Paws 101

Walking out on the ice between the first and second periods at the Beanpot, Paws endures heckling from some opposing fans. “What is that, a skunk? You stink, Paws!” a boy in a Harvard sweatshirt yells.

The mascot waves him off and focuses on the intermission contest: a puck shootout between a Harvard and a Northeastern student. Northeastern fourth-year computer engineering major David Fatheree wins, nabbing $20 in Dunkin’ gift cards and a selfie with Paws. The latter, he says, is the real prize.

Though it’s hard to imagine Northeastern sporting events without Paws these days, he’s a relatively recent addition to campus. Northeastern traces its first live dog mascot, King Husky, back to 1927, and a trio of huskies have served as the reigning live mascot, King Husky VIII, since 2005. From the 1950s to the 1990s, Northeastern also crowned two students “King and Queen” Husky as part of homecoming celebrations; the “winners” received the dubious honor of wearing husky-shaped paper mache heads at events. Northeastern discontinued that tradition in the late 1990s. 

The university introduced Paws in fall 2003; he began working games during the 2004 winter sport season. Though he’s undergone slight evolutions — associates note he’s been hitting the weight room in recent years — the basic Paws look has been largely consistent since.

This is Paws’ 20th season in athletics, where a half-dozen student marketing interns collaborate on his schedule, escort him at events and maintain his costumes.

“You can see he has hockey jerseys, basketball … here’s his business suit,” says Parker Berman, a fourth-year business and finance major and administrator in athletics, flipping through a metal garment rack. The entire Paws team agrees that the mascot, who uses he/him pronouns, is gender nonbinary, and his wardrobe in Cabot reflects that. A nearby shelf groans with hats and accessories, including a hot pink cowboy hat from a viral TikTok dance video tied to last summer’s “Barbie” movie and a silver, sequined cocktail dress.

Teammates say his personality takes on different dimensions depending on the venue, but major hockey games are when he really lets loose.“Basketball is also very high energy, and he interacts more with the crowd on the ground,” says a student working with Paws during the Beanpot semifinal game.Still, there is an internal code of conduct. “He is always respectful. Like, Paws can’t steal. But he can go up to concessions and be like ‘Please give me a hot dog.’ And it works.”

During games, he and his designated handler communicate partially through American Sign Language, a handy tool in the event he needs a break, gets overheated or has something go wrong with his gameday getup, like a broken ice skate.

‘All over the place’

Still, Paws isn’t just about sports. Alongside his fixed presence in athletics, he has blossomed on TikTok in recent years. The platform has given fans new insights into his interests, including but not limited to a love of dance, Taylor Swift and #experientiallearning. He was in the Northeastern account’s first-ever post, in 2019, but didn’t really emerge on the site until summer 2022.

“The corn song was very trendy — it’s this kid talking about corn, and it was everywhere,” Sleeper remembers. The Paws video responding to the meme “was his first starring role. He was so excited to celebrate corn. People loved it, and it made his handlers think ‘OK, this is someone who could do TikTok really well.’”

Dance videos are a particular strength; a post of Paws stomping along to Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” with the Northeastern Dance team after the pop star’s Super Bowl performance last year is his most popular to date, with over 2 million views. “He’s really got some moves,” Sleeper says.

@northeasternu

Green Line Girl moment inspo: @Sabrina Bahsoon #tubegirl #tubegirleffect #tubegirlenergy #northeastern #northeasternuniversity

♬ original sound – habz.fx

In addition to allowing him to capitalize on pop culture trends to spread his brand of chaotic fun, TikTok has been a direct conduit for Paws into campus life itself. According to Pew Research statistics, roughly two-thirds of TikTok’s users in the United States are under the age of 30, making it the perfect medium for the mascot to broadcast his whereabouts to his adoring public. In practically real time, students — and their parents — can see him giving out hugs before midterms or hanging out in the Curry Student Center on Boston’s campus.

That’s where he is on Valentine’s Day, handing out roses and conversation hearts and flirting with anyone and everyone who wants a photo. Making his way across campus in a slick black suit (pants size 42 or larger) and red tie, Paws runs into a trio of students carrying catering containers and delights chemistry Ph.D. student Olivia Armendarez so thoroughly she drops a vat of ranch dressing, splattering it across the pavement. “I feel like I have a valentine, even though I’m single,” Armendarez says when she collects herself. 

“Mom, I’m going to have to call you back!” exclaims Madeline Kriz, a fourth-year international business major as she rounds the corner, popping out her AirPods. She collects a rose (unlike “The Bachelor,” Paws gives them freely) and swoops in for a big squeeze, scratching his nose. “He makes me so happy,” she says. “It’s the perfect Valentine’s day treat.”

In the Curry dining hall, everyone stops to say hi — students toting Popeye’s bags, volunteers at a community health pop up distributing free Narcan (Paws poses enthusiastically with this, too), even staff. “He’s my husky,” says Alina Pereira, an NU Dining worker who takes a break from wiping down tables for a photo. “I love him.”  

Working overtime

Back at TD Garden, it’s been a tight semifinal matchup between Harvard and Northeastern, with momentum shifts and lead changes resulting in a tensely-played, 2-2 tie at the end of regulation. Paws traditionally goes shirtless for overtimes; he does so here and makes his way down to the edge of the ice.

“He’s all over the place!” says Beanpot attendee Lara Stangel, a Northeastern parent, who was delighted to see Paws making the rounds at orientation this past fall. Later on, Paws runs into her husband, Justin, a TV writer who was the head of David Letterman’s “Late Show” for 15 years and worked on “Saturday Night Live.” A devoted hockey fan, Justin Stengel says he probably wouldn’t turn his attention from the ice for anyone else. “Paws is awesome,” he says. “I gotta tell you, I was on my way back to the game and I really don’t want to miss the game, but I have to stop for him. It’s like when you go to Disney, you have to see Mickey.”

“I love you, Paws!” a student screams in the distance.

“He loves you more!” his handler responds.

“No he doesn’t!!” comes the thoroughly shocked response.

The mascot paces anxiously at TD’s Zamboni entrance, but not for long: After about a minute, Northeastern’s Gunnarwolfe Fontaine slips a quick shot into the open net past Harvard’s goalie, giving the Huskies a berth in the Beanpot final (which they also win) a week later. Paws pounds his chest in ecstasy and backslaps the victorious players.

 It’s just the start of an action-packed week. A few days later, he plays host to 850 Boston Public School students at Athletics’ annual BPS field day, including a daytime basketball game. During a women’s hockey matchup against Maine the following Saturday, the crowd serenades him with “Happy Birthday” at intermission; his team has an intimate celebration in the home locker room afterward, with Paws cutting a small, vanilla cake.

“I could have had a God-awful day and be crabby and hungry and cold and want to go home,” Berman says. “And you go up in the stands with him and you can’t not smile and laugh. It rubs off on you, and you just feel a bit lighter.”

Schuyler Velasco is a Northeastern Global News Magazine senior writer. Email her at s.velasco@northeastern.edu. Follow her on X/Twitter @Schuyler_V.