The Doyle Owl is considered to be an unofficial mascot of Reed College. It is a roughly three-foot high, 300-pound, concrete statue of an owl that was originally located atop the Doyle section of the Old Dorm Block. Alternate histories include the owl originating from the yard of a Portland-area resident and being stolen by the residents of Doyle. Reed College is a liberal arts college with about 1300 students as of 2004, located in Portland, Oregon in the quiet Eastmoreland neighborhood. ... Families Strigidae Tytonidae An owl is any of some 200+ species of solitary nocturnal birds of prey in the order Strigiformes. ...

The owl was first stolen in 1913 in a dorm war. Another dorm kidnapped nine residents of Doyle, offering to exchange the captives for the owl. This did not work and the "hostages" escaped. The same rival dorm staged a two-hour siege on Doyle, featuring water, mud, and ammonia bombs. Doyle countered by using a firehose but the tradition was born.

Over the years the owl has been stolen countless times. However, an odd feature has accompanied this thievery. Whenever it is stolen, the stealers must flaunt it at a "showing," where elaborate measures are taken to slow and stop the owl from taking flight again. Often the resulting fracas involves the majority of the student body. Pictures of the owl in strange places have become de rigeur; it has been seen in the US at Disneyland, in Seattle, in San Francisco, and in Lincoln, Nebraska; it has also been seen in Paris, France, and in Jakarta, Indonesia. The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... Disneyland is a theme park at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. ... City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ... San Francisco skyline. ... Lincoln is the capital city of the State of Nebraska, in the United States of America. ... The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ... This page is about the capital city of Indonesia. ... The Republic of Indonesia is located in the Malay Archipelago, the worlds largest archipelago, between Indochina and Australia, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. ...

It is reported that the owl was shown in a music video for the band Tears for Fears and was promptly stolen back from the band by Reed students. Other "showings" have included encasing it in ice, covering it in Vaseline while hanging it off the Blue Bridge, setting it on fire (using baking oil) and throwing it out the back of a speeding car. Angel Dawson, a 1983 Reed graduate, devoted her thesis to studying the anthropological implications of the Doyle Owl cult-following. Tears for Fears are a British pop band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, who emerged as a pairing from an early band in their home town of Bath. ... Petroleum jelly or petrolatum is a byproduct of the refining of petroleum, made from the residue of petroleum distillation left in the still after all the oil has been vaporized. ... The Blue Bridge is a curved, downward sloping pedestrian bridge connecting the east and west halves of the Reed College campus. ...

There are rumors that the owl has been destroyed and/or replaced by multiple copies. Since 1913 it has taken quite a battering and the resemblance to an owl now is questionable.

External links

• Alumnus tells of his encounter with a Doyle Owl "showing." (http://www.mlhp.net/alum/doyleowl.html)
• The Doyle Owl An unofficial definition of Doyle Owl. (http://www.pseudodictionary.com/word.php?id=8101)