We’re excited to unveil this new South Dakota State Jackrabbits Basketball Bobblehead in conjunction with March Madness as SDSU is dancing in March again.”

National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar

MILWAUKEE — On Thursday morning, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled an officially licensed South Dakota State Jackrabbits Basketball Bobblehead.

Later Thursday, SDSU will tip off against Iowa State in the Men’s NCAA Tournament while the women’s team will tip off against Utah on Saturday in the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

The bobblehead is being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, an official licensee of South Dakota State.

Standing on a blue-and-yellow base with a backing featuring the South Dakota State Jackrabbits logo, the Jack the Jackrabbit bobblehead is flexing its muscles while wearing a #1 SDSU basketball jersey. Each bobblehead is individually numbered to 2,024 and they are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in August, are $35 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.

 Seeded 15th in the East Region, South Dakota State will take on second-seeded Iowa State in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Thursday in Omaha, Nebraska. Seeded 12th in the Women’s NCAA Tournament, South Dakota State will take on fifth-seeded Utah in the first round of the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday in Spokane, Washington.

 SDSU is the only college or university in the nation with a Jackrabbit as its mascot. Many coaches still believe that spotting a rabbit on the day of a contest ensures victory. The most common belief on how the Jackrabbit nickname evolved came from a story that appeared in a Minneapolis newspaper following a football game in 1905. A reporter, knowing the preponderance of jackrabbits in the Brookings area, was believed to have written that the South Dakota State College team — as the university was then known — was as quick as jackrabbits.

Jack’s name was officially revealed during a birthday party in 2010. Nearly 900 people suggested names during a week in October for the beloved SDSU mascot. A committee comprised of students, alumni, faculty, university officials and members of the Brookings community selected a list of six finalists for which 3,956 online votes were cast to officially name the mascot. Jack received 35 percent of the first-place votes.

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum also produced bobbleheads celebrating the team’s 2023 College Football National Championship as well as the school’s first national championship in 2022. In addition, a bobblehead celebrating the Dakota Marker Rivalry Bobblehead was also released and recently arrived.

"We’re excited to unveil this new South Dakota State Jackrabbits Basketball Bobblehead in conjunction with March Madness as SDSU is dancing in March again,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “This bobblehead is the perfect way for Jackrabbits fans, alumni, students, faculty, and staff to show off their school pride!”