By Bethany Sorensen
Although he?ll be celebrating his 50th birthday next year, Cosmo the Cougar isn?t showing any sign of aging.
Between all the BYU sporting events and Cosmo Kid?s Club pre-game parties, this crazy cat never slows down.
But in case his fountain of youth happens to run dry, Cosmo still has eight more lives saved to keep up with his busy schedule.
Devin Eden, director of Cosmo and the Cosmo Kid?s Club, said the BYU mascot is made for his job.
?He?s fun-loving and likes to play around,? Eden said. ?He loves sports and playing with people. He?s really outgoing so he loves the attention.?
Cosmo enjoys center stage when it comes to sideline entertainment, but don?t think it?s a one-cat show.
He?s got a clowder of cougars behind him to help him fit into a man?s world.
?We have a group called Team Cosmo to help him,? Eden said. ?Their responsibility is to plan skits, get the costumes, get the props and to get him ready.?
Team Cosmo choreographed this year?s dynamic half-time show where Cosmo showed off his super-hero powers at BYU?s opening football game against Syracuse University.
Cosmo and his team work together to ensure top performances like his epic Spiderman crawl down the front of the LaVell Edwards Stadium press box.
? helps plan and coordinate to make sure he can do it,? Eden said. ?He practices so he can perform and look good.?
When he?s not cruising Provo in his music-blaring Cosmobile or stalking the sidelines on his stilts, Cosmo takes time to play with BYU?s younger fans.
Brett Eden, former director of Cosmo and older brother of the current director, created the original Kid?s Club, which has become one of the nation?s largest.
?The Kid?s Club was designed to nurture future BYU fans,? Brett said. ?From a business perspective, you?d want to create that loyalty now so that in 30 years when they make their millions, they?ll donate back. If you create that affinity when they?re young, it will never leave them.?
Brett was the first to consider BYU?s mascot as a business opportunity.
?In the collegiate world, were created as a fun, interactive addition to the athletic department, but they never used the marketing potential behind them,? he said. ?They were very skeptical of my ideas at first, but I proved them otherwise.?
As director, the first group Brett organized was Team Cosmo.
?It?s a group of students there to help be Cosmo?s mouth and help him accomplish what he needs to do,? Brett said, ?helping him even with little things like getting him a drink when he needs it.?
Cosmo works hard, attending as many sporting events as he can, promoting anti-drug and fire prevention week in the community and throwing pre-game bashes for BYU?s future fans.
And, his hard work pays off, but this cat doesn?t pay a dime.
Cosmo uses his cougar-like charisma to promote local businesses and in return, the businesses donate all of Cosmo?s toys, including the air compressor that fires wadded-up T-shirts into the screaming stands.
Companies like Northwest Mutual, Spring Air, e-Bike and Love Sac recently donated more than $70,000 in merchandise to Cosmo and his efforts to keep the fans cheering.
Brick Oven has also helped out Cosmo ? its most notable contribution: the $50,000 Cosmobile.
Beverly Utly, BYU director of Promotions, said Cosmo, with all his toys, can get anyone revved up.
?Cosmo is phenomenal,? she said. ?No matter where he is or what he?s doing, people get so excited to see Cosmo.?
But, Cosmo?s enthusiastic rally growls spread further than the Wasatch Mountains-this cougar gets national attention.
?Last year at a basketball game,? Utly said, ?ESPN said Cosmo was one of the most, if not the most, athletic mascots in the country.?
That athleticism can be tiring, but when he retreats to his Y mountain home after all the fans have gone home, Cosmo the Cougar never stops thinking about how to please the crowd.
?He?s crazy,? Brett said. ?I think he just likes to be at the games and try to make the crowd laugh and go ?ooh aah.??