The USS Theodore Roosevelt, a Nimitz class aircraft carrier for the US Navy, contains two nuclear reactors, four aircraft catapults, 80 fighter planes, three Sea Sparrow missile launchers, living quarters for 5,500 people, and a furry mascot with googly eyes.

Officially named "Sagamore T. Moose" after Theodore Roosevelt's hometown, the mascot is the brainchild of Lt. Cmdr. Terry Chauncey, the administration officer of the ship's Welfare, Morale and Recreation Department. He created the moose in August 2001. Bully can be seen in Operation Enduring Freedom prancing about the deck, hosting bingo games and golf contests, and appears with the captain on weekly in-ship broadcasts. He is also said to be fond of fishing and karaoke. Although six feet tall, his antlers are undersized, due to the confines of the ship.

For many months the identity of the man in the suit has been a secret, but Salon magazine has outed Chauncey as the man wearing the moose suit.

Source: Danielle Egan, "Bully for Them," Salon, 10 January 2002, <http://www.salon.com/people/feature/2002/01/10/moose/index.html> (10 January 2002)