ASU unveils new Sparky the Sun Devil mascot design, created with Disney

Sparky the Sun Devil has been an integral part of ASU culture since 1946. Today, Arizona State, in conjunction with Disney, unveiled a brand new design for Sparky, updating a mascot that has been the same for many years. After a dynamic rebranding in 2011 that resulted in Nike's development of the pitchfork and color changes, Sparky seemed to take a backseat.

ASU is looking to corner a new emerging market, but no worries: they are leaving the iconic Sparky logo alone. However, Sparky has a new look for his on-field persona, targeted towards the younger generation. Here it is:

Quick reaction: he looks like an ant. A Devilish ant. He's very buff and reminds me a little of Buzz Lightyear.

The presentation today discussed many subjects. Disney has worked hard to integrate with the Arizona State intellectual community, aligning with both students and faculty to develop products and ideas to minimize childhood obesity, developing healthier, easier to carry backpacks for children and making buying decisions easier for young families to improve quality of life.

For more on the brand new Sparky, make sure you follow along with our Twitter account. Our very own Kerry Crowley was at the press briefing, providing the latest details on everything Sun Devil-related. He'll have a recap later!

EDIT: Apparently there's a lot more. Here's some highly stylized drawings by Disney - are we getting our own Sparky TV show?!