This spring, Georgia Tech is dispersing a new official mascot and logo that will blanket campus, Atlanta, and the state of Georgia. In addition to the ‘Yellow Jackets’ and ‘Ramblin’ Wreck,’ Georgia Tech will also be known as the ‘Fightin’ Pollen’ effective immediately.

“The challenge of adding a new identity to fit beside Buzz and The Wreck is nothing to sneeze at,” said Al Ergee, Associate Director of Seasonal Branding in Georgia Tech’s department of logos and botany. 

The design process began late this past Saturday after Atlanta experienced the highest recorded pollen count in the history of the city. That evening, Ergee received a call from Gus Zoontight, Georgia Tech’s Vice President of Trending Topics.

“We noticed that everyone in the region was talking about the pollen count being over 14,800,” recalled Zoontight. In the conversation, Zoontight’s throat was a little scratchy and Ergee noticed. 

“He said, ‘I’m fighting something today,’” Ergee remembered. “And I said, ‘We’re all fighting pollen.’”

Lightbulb. 

At that moment, Gus Zoontight and Al Ergee knew exactly what they had to do next. “When you get an idea like ‘Fightin’ Pollen’ you can only let it spread!”

Ergee pulled together a focus group that met sporadically over the last 36 hours and worked tiredly to add a Georgia-centric design to the Institute’s brand identity.

“By the end of it, there were a lot of watery eyes. Many members of the team just wanted to stay inside and not deal with it at all,” said Ergee. “Finally, we dusted ourselves off and landed in a good spot.”

“You are going to see this everywhere!” said Zoontight excitedly.

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Meet Paul Lenny — the first Fightin’ Pollen. Brandishing a disgusting shade of yellow that resembles the residue of the pine tree pollen commonly found throughout Georgia, Paul Lenny was designed to repulse and annoy.

“You can just tell by the look in his eyes that he’s not going away,” said Ergee. “We really wanted to convey just how hard he is to get rid of — just when you think he’s gone, ‘BAM’ he’s back on your doorstep, the hood of your car, or on your back porch!”

Zoontight and Ergee have grand plans for the Fightin’ Pollen when fans come to campus for spring football in a few weeks. They have teamed up with a group of student fans and engineers called ‘The Pollinators’ to make the experience miserable. 

“The Pollinators have been crucial in creating and maintaining the ecosystem for the Fightin’ Pollen,” said Ergee. “They’ve designed a mechanism that will release a pollen mist into the crowd when the giant flag is waived after a score. It’s terrible.”

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Additionally, Georgia Tech will roll out fresh hashtags to support the new brand identity. The Fightin’ Pollen community is encouraged to use #SneezeEm or #TogetherWeSniffle when posting on social media platforms. 

“It’s a very exciting time,” said Zoontight. “Now — all across campus — we’re all Fightin’ Pollen.”