How They Got Here

Some may say through hitting the books, as Berkeley is a world renown academic institution.

But is probably from the demonstrative point.

Combining the book learning from UC Berkeley along with the athletic ability honed at Cal sporting events, Oski the Bear studied the great pointers of old, specifically the likes of the Moxie Can Man and Uncle Sam, and then athletically executed the best aspects of their pointing to create the most successful point in history, pointing voters to vote for Oski and make Oski the Bear officially Oski the World’s Best Bear in 2025.

Where They Came From

Though Oski the Bear is certainly a good-looking bear, with the classic “bear next door” look, the demonstrative point in the picture is very indicative of Oski the Bear’s confident behavior that borders on cocky, and makes our researches think Oski, despite the clean-cut looks, may not actually be from next door.

We do not definitively know where Oski was born, for lack of birth certificate, but we do know where and when Oski was first seen: 1941 in UC Berkeley’s Greek Theatre, where and when Oski replaced the live bears that were previously Cal’s mascots.

One might think replacing real bears with a mascot would make things safer, but Oski has been known to kick back a bear or two and get a little bit rowdy, most famously fighting the Stanford Tree in 1988, which had to be broken up by security. How do the fight end though? With his classic point of the finger directed at the Tree that was interpreted by former Cal player (and later Stanford head coach) Troy Taylor to mean “This isn’t over.”

And it wasn’t. Because Oski got the last laugh by finishing atop The World Famous Sweet Livin’ Productions World’s Best Bear Poll, 2025 while the Stanford Tree is nowhere to be found on such a Prestigious Poll.

Oski the Bear now has to take a breathalyzer test before Big Games (the annual Cal/Stanford football showdown). We did not force Oski the Bear to take a breathalyzer test before appearing on this Poll—and then dominating the competition, treating the other bears as if they were a mere Tree.

What’s Next For Them

If indeed Oski’s point says “This is not over,” we do indeed expect Oski to back up that language with more appearances at the top of this Prestigious Poll, for Oski’s nonverbal communication skills are very poignant and powerful, including throwing cake that landed on Gary Payton’s dad, an example of nonverbal communication so powerful that it got Oski suspended.

How They Compare To Their Predecessor

Hidy & Howdy matched Oski’s assertiveness with their familial love and cuteness. While Oski could probably beat the two of them in a barfight, they did beat Oski on the Poll last year. We will wait, at a safe distance, for Oski’s nonverbal input on this topic.