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PP: We have our own little locker room.

PB: Is it anywhere near the cheerleaders' locker room?

PP: I wish! [Laughs]

PB: What do you do with your sledgehammer?

PP: I've been known to golf with it and do goofy things like that. But it gets in the way when you are trying to do acrobatic stuff, and it's also kind of dangerous. Pete has tunnel vision, so when you're swinging that sledgehammer around, you have to make sure you don't drill a kid in the head with it. It's wood, so it hurts.

PB: Have you ever been tempted to strike another mascot with it?

PP: No, but I have had other mascots try to steal it. One time we were playing Wisconsin and some Badger fans grabbed it, but security nabbed 'em on their way out of the stadium.

PB: What do fans say when they approach you?

PP: The heckling's nonstop; I always listen just to see how clever people are. They usually just call me "big head" and sometimes hit me in the head. It's loud! If you have a headache, you're doomed.

PB: Does Pete keep a supply of aspirin in the locker room?

PP: He should -- especially after big wins.

PB: Do you celebrate a big win with a few boilermakers?

PP: Most Purdue fans go to Harry's, but Pete doesn't go in costume. He might go to fraternity parties, though.

PB: Who's the coolest mascot besides yourself?

PP: The craziest one is the Stanford Tree -- he's a maniac.

PB: What's the best thing about your costume?

PP: You can see people out of the side of your head while it looks like you're looking straight ahead.

PB: Do you ever check out chicks that way?

PP: [Scoffs] Of course not! There's work to be done.

PB: Have you ever given away your real identity to the crowd?

PP: Never. But once we were playing at Minnesota, and I knew Goldy (the Minnesota Gopher) from camp, so I let him do whatever he wanted to do to me since I was on his turf. He picked me up and put me over his head, and all of a sudden I fell. A little later, Goldy came over with bandages around his head, and tells me, "I dropped you because you knocked my head off!" That was probably pretty funny to see.

PB: What are your goals for this season?

PP: For the Boilermakers to do really well and to promote school spirit.


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