Countless students have stepped into the current Chesty Lion suit, leaving behind years of sweat and grime. Its eyes are cracked and its teeth are broken. And the scent? Imagine an old laundry room with dirty clothes everywhere.

Now, after 22 years, Lawrence High School is preparing to debut a brand-new Chesty Lion costume.

LHS senior Aubrie Magnuson wore the suit five times this school year for different events. While it was a great opportunity, she encountered many challenges just moving around in the costume.

“The whole costume is kind of awkward to do stuff in,” Magnuson said. “It’s been worn down so much, it’s lost so much of its structure.”

Longtime LHS spirit squad director Gwenneth Wedd spearheaded the push for the new costume. She initially started planning in February 2022, and circled back in September 2024 after conditions got worse.

“We want to be proud of it,” Wedd said, “and it didn’t look like anything to put out in public anymore.”

According to International Mascot Corporation VP of Sales and Operations Susan Hugens, the new costume costs $7,935. Production takes about eight months from purchase to delivery. It’s made in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and each costume takes about 100 hours to produce.

LHS went with International Mascot Corporation because of its costumes’ quality. The two organizations have never worked together, but LHS decided to go through with it because of what they’ve done with the University of Kansas’ Baby Jay and Big Jay suits.

“The quality of our work is very high,” Hugens said. “They’re very comfortable to wear.”

Compared to the current mascot suit, the new one will have a better helmet and air flow, and weigh less. The Chesty Lion is an iconic part of Lawrence High’s tradition, and a new mascot suit must uphold the longstanding history: “You keep it as similar as you can, because it is respecting the past,” LHS athletic director Patrick Graham said.

“One of our main goals here at Lawrence High School is to embrace those that have walked the halls before us and try to continue to move that legacy forward,” he added.

In order to raise enough money to purchase the new costume, Wedd worked closely with Matt Llewellyn, a member of the Lawrence High class of 1984 who said he has an unhealthy love for Lawrence High School. On top of owning the prominent Lawrence restaurant 23rd Street Brewery, he also serves as the radio commentator for LHS athletics.

Last fall, while Wedd was coordinating the mascot process, Llewellyn attended his class’ 40th reunion. At the event, he stood on a chair and held up flyers with a QR code that directed guests to donate money to the mascot fund.

Llewellyn has given back to the school in many ways over the years and wanted to reignite the spirit from when he went to school there. His goal was to raise $1,000 from his class, but they managed to hit $2,000 that night.

“School spirit is something that I don’t think that they have like they had when I went to school,” he said. “I just want to do whatever I can to try to help revive that.”

Magnuson also hopes that getting a new suit will help engagement and pride.

“I think being able to have a newer Chesty costume just kind of resolidifies that pride,” she said. “We can show off our school and have it be something we’re proud of.”

The new design will stay true to tradition, while boasting a new personality. It includes an eyebrow raise rather than a wink, and also has a vest with puffed-out abs to keep its iconic chesty look.

The costume is set to arrive this summer, and it will make its debut at Lawrence High’s first football game this fall.