Oski, like any other superhero, has a secret identity. 

This has helped him tremendously in the past, such as in 1955 when Oski threw ice cream into a crowd, allegedly causing “permanent injury” to a 12-year-old. When the family tried to sue, the suit was thwarted because nobody could identify the man behind the mask. 

In 1995, Oski entered Stanford University’s villainous Maples Pavilion to assault his arch nemesis, the Stanford Tree. The perpetrator is still unknown to this day. As the lore goes, Oskis and the Oski Committee in charge of handling the mascot – both past and present – never reveal their identity.

This year, however, was the first time Oski reveals were posted on the campus-affiliated Oski Instagram account. One post on a former Oski’s personal account went viral, amassing more than 70,000 likes on Instagram, sparking backlash for not keeping up with the tradition of secrecy and veil of mystery associated with the mascot, for what some fans view as temporary social media fame. 

“The thing that maybe upset people the most is it didn’t feel like the motivation to do it was anything other than social media clout,” said SFGate editor in chief and Cal superfan Grant Marek. “Because, if you just want to tell (your) parents … great.”

However, as Oski turns 85, his anonymity has mostly changed. Oski has evolved, and so has his secrecy. Two years ago, the person behind Oski revealed themselves on social media. Last year, a TikTok was posted that similarly revealed who hid behind the mask. 

Former Oskis revealing themselves after graduation is nothing new. As Reza Sirafinejad, founder and cohost of the Cal sports podcast “Tell The Whole Damn World!” describes, he has met a handful of older Oskis, including a grandfather. In the Blue & Gold Yearbook, Oskis were previously revealed as well. The scale of the reveal, however, is unprecedented.

“The school had celebrated (the secrecy) as part of the mythology around Oski; it was highlighted as a big piece of the 75th birthday,” said SFGate sports editor Alex Simon. “It stood out even more to see official campus accounts within the comments of the post, sharing this Oski post, because it gives it a … bigger stamp of approval if this is a tradition break.”

As former Oskis and committee members describe, the reveal is a way to celebrate and share their time as Oski, the elaborate lies they told roommates, the brutal heat inside the suit, as well as the progress the Oski Committee has made for representation. Being Oski, especially following conference realignment, requires cross-country travel, missing classes and constant effort when in the suit.

“There was a point in which it was only white men that could be on the (Oski) Committee,” said former Oski Committee member Kaylee Price. “For me, being able to show that anyone at Berkeley could be Oski was super important, and I think that better upholds this idea of Oski, as an entity, is representative of everyone.” 

In an exclusive poem written to The Daily Californian, Oski provided his thoughts on the situation. He claimed that before 2025, when the graduating class posed with him, it was up to “individual friends (to make) that choice of fate” and shared the ultimate and final secret of Oski. 

As it would be unjust to trim any of Oski’s few words, below is the poem in full.

“Gratitude expressed in you reaching out,

Though I do not usually speak, 

I feel the need to shout!

My words have been sought without my consent,

For those reasons, I feel I must repent.

Reveals have happened for histories in age, 

Enjoy looking back as I tell you my page:

Blue and gold books saw faces past,

Today, friends’ faces on insta en masse. 

2025, I posted them all together first,

With smiling faces and poses rehearsed. 

But before that, for years of late,

Individual friends made that choice of fate.

That this year saw so much uproar, 

And the narratives written, oh my, were they poor!

Unkind and unkempt, a push for “something viral”,

Instead all I read was hurtful, and vile.

As for the search of my ‘true’ identity,

Tis a secret, my friend, the world begs to see,

For you dearest Miles, hear my prayer,

Such as your kindness, now seems rare.

Oski is you, Oski are we,

85 years against the Stanford tree,

All this hullabaloo, and the real secrecy? 

Oski is forever, California’s one true entity.

Oski T. Bear”