Who is Freddie??

We all know that Freddie the Flickertail is the gregarious North Dakota State Fair mascot, however some of you may be asking yourselves…who is Freddie, how did he become the NDSF mascot, and what exactly is a Flickertail??? Here is an inside look into NDSF history.

Freddie came to us as a young tail. His family had been traveling with Murphy Brothers Circus for many generations. Freddie’s mother was the bearded lady and his father was the famous “Flick the Clown”. When Freddie turned 8 years old he went to his mother and told her he did not want to travel anymore. He had fallen in love with the North Dakota State Fair and he wanted to make it his permanent home. The Fair office was flattered and offered Freddie the high honor of being the NDSF mascot. Freddie’s parents were so proud that they let him stay and, of course, they see Freddie every year at Fair time.

What a coincidence that North Dakota is nicknamed the Flickertail State and Freddie is a Flickertail! North Dakota seems to attract these creatures, which may be why Freddie decided to stay. According to Wikipedia, the Richardson's ground squirrel, or the Flickertail, is a North American ground squirrel in the genus Spermophilus. Ground squirrels are sometimes called "Dak Rats" or "gophers". Like many ground squirrels, Freddie lives in a burrow on the Fair grounds when he is done with his annual mascot duties.

Freddie has called the North Dakota State Fair home every since we can remember. We are very lucky to have such a devoted mascot. Now that you know more about Freddie, be sure to wave next time you see him bouncing around the Fair grounds.

If you have pictures with our lovable mascot send them to ashley@ndstatefair.com to become our Pic of the Day!