"New Sparky" Redesign Announced

After a two week voting process, the results have been tallied and Arizona State has released the design of the "New Sparky" mascot.

The "New Sparky" design presented on Wednesday comes on the heels of a strong protest from university students, fans, and season ticket holders after the initial designs for their beloved Sparky the Sun Devil were announced.

The Sun Devil has been the official mascot of Arizona State since 1946 and Sparky has become an iconic symbol of the school's proud tradition.

The mascot has undergone a variety of makeovers since its inception, however, the 2013 redesign has been especially controversial.

On March 1, Arizona State revealed that the university teamed up with Disney to continue the re-branding of the athletic department in order to appeal to a wider audience.

(Photo: The March 1 redesign. Credit: ASU Athletics)

The "New Sparky" design released that day attempted to target a younger generation while maintaining the traditional traits, but instead caused a major backlash.

After a vehement protest, the university decided to recall the "New Sparky" design and use a more democratic process to determine Sparky's new image.

On April 22, polls opened to allow Arizona State students, employees, alumni, season-ticket holders, donors and Sun Devil club-members to cast their ballots and choose among four different "New Sparky" designs.

(Photo: The four "New Sparky" voting options. Credit: ASU Athletics)

Despite permitting a voting process, fans expressed their disappointment in the limited number of options for a "New Sparky", the unnecessary change in the mascot design, and flaws in the voting system.

While the situation was far from perfect, the polls closed on May 5 and Arizona State prepared a press release of the "New Sparky" redesign.

The images of "New Sparky" released today are still a far cry from the current mascot, but the university insists that Arizona State supporters have dealt with changes to Sparky's look at least six times and will adjust accordingly.

Plans to use the "Old Sparky" logo remain intact, but the "New Sparky" will be a presence at athletic events and likely make his debut on September 5 when the Arizona State football team takes on Sacramento State.

(Photo: The Old Sparky logo. Credit: ASU Athletics)

Ultimately, the "New Sparky" redesign announced Wednesday is meant to quell fans' outrage, but it appears as though the images remain similar to the previous "New Sparky" image. Like any big change, the decision to alter Sparky will draw both support and criticism. And there's no better venue to share those feelings than House of Sparky so please post your thoughts below, ASU nation.