1916 Chicago Cubs Live Bear Cub Mascot Worn Collar

Regular price: $27,500.00
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Sale price: $27,500.00

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JOA the Bear Cub!

One of the most unique pieces we’ve ever owned, offered here is an extraordinary and exceedingly rare collar attributed to JOA, the live bear cub that served as the Chicago Cubs’ mascot during the 1910s. While the practice seems almost unthinkable by today’s standards, at the turn of the century, the Cubs and a handful of other professional sports teams employed live animals as mascots. JOA was introduced in 1916, the inaugural season at Wrigley Field (then known as Weeghman Park).

The bear was gifted to the Cubs by team owner J. Ogden Armour, a prominent Chicago industrialist, meatpacking magnate, and one of the wealthiest men in America at the time. The cub was named directly from Armour’s initials - J.O.A. - and was displayed just outside the ballpark at the corner of Addison and Sheffield, where he greeted fans and became part of the early game-day experience.

The collar’s heavy leather displays clear, authentic age and use, retaining its original metal studs, buckle, and hardware, all appropriate to the early 20th century. The centerpiece is the engraved metal nameplate reading: “Presented to ‘The Cubs’ by J. Ogden Armour 1916 ”. This engraving directly connects the collar to JOA and the team owner who presented him, supported by multiple period newspaper accounts. The plate exhibits wear and patina consistent with its age, while scratches and stretching at the buckle holes suggest regular use on an active live animal. The scale, construction, and evident wear indicate a functional working collar rather than a decorative piece, supporting its attribution to the Cubs’ live bear cub mascot during the 1916 season.

JOA’s time as the Cubs’ live mascot didn't last forever, as the realities of maintaining a growing and unpredictable bear cub soon outweighed the novelty. Eventually, the cub was transferred to the Lincoln Park Zoo, bringing an end to the club’s experiment with live bear mascots. In the years that followed, the Cubs didn't use a live animal mascot again until the widely known “Billy Goat” of 1945. Of course, today the use of live animal mascots is quite uncommon. The Cubs currently have a costumed (performer), named Clark the Cub, whom the Cubs and Major League Baseball say is the great-grandson of JOA the live cub from 1916.

Surviving artifacts directly associated with early live mascots are virtually nonexistent, particularly those with a specific and historically documented inscription. This collar stands as a remarkable and compelling relic from the earliest days of Cubs baseball at Wrigley Field.

Collar measures approximately 26.5 inches x 2.5 inches

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