What Is a Billiken? Get to Know St. Louis' Charming Mascot

If things go as St. Louis University desires during the NCAA tournament, perhaps its mascot will be the reason why.

St. Louis' mascot is a charming, devilish-looking creature called a "billiken." The school's official site defines the billiken as a "mythical good-luck figure" representing the mantra of "things as they ought to be."

The billiken was created by Florence Pretz, who taught art and was an illustrator in Missouri, in 1908. A study by Dorothy Jean Ray details how, historically, billiken caricatures have been believed to bring good luck.

There are two legendary tales which explain how the billiken became St. Louis' mascot.

In one, John Bender, a law student who became the head coach of…