LYNN NEARY, host: This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Lynn Neary.</s>LYNN NEARY, host: The George Mason University men's basketball team may have won a place in the hearts and minds of sports fans during March Madness this year. But Gunston, the school's fuzzy green mascot, his place is nowhere near secure.</s>LYNN NEARY, host: Now that George Mason has risen to national prominence, appearing in this year's NCAA Final Four, the university says it needs a new mascot. They're looking for one with a stronger image, something that says George Mason loud and clear. So the athletic department will ask a mascot focus group to propose possible replacements this summer.</s>LYNN NEARY, host: Gunston is named for Gunston Hall Plantation, which was the home of the real George Mason, a Founding Father of the United States and the namesake of the university. But a study done two years ago show that 40 percent of students didn't know what Gunston was. And most of those who could identify the school's mascot wanted to replace him.</s>LYNN NEARY, host: Gunston looks somewhat like an overgrown, green shaggy Muppet with a yellow nose, and remarkably unlike anything found in nature. Andy Ruge of George Mason's athletic department explained the university's decision this way. It would be nice if a freshman could see him and go, hey, that's our mascot, instead of going, what's that?
George Mason University, seeking to capitalize on post-NCAA basketball tourney sports celebrity, wants a new mascot. Green, furry Gunston is a bit ambiguous. A focus group will help pick a successor.