Bucky on Parade- Group Puzzle Artworks -

This summer, my kids and I had fun hunting for Buckys! Bucky Badger is the mascot of the University of Wisconsin. Bucky on Parade was a community and public art event. 85 painted Bucky sculptures were placed all over the city and surrounding areas. Kids (and adults) followed the maps to find the Buckys. Prizes were awarded as kids checked them off their list. The Buckys were auctioned off to raise money for charity.

Here are some pictures of our favorite Buckys. At the bottom of this post are pictures of the giant Bucky puzzles we made at my school with different classes.

A girl gives a thumbs up next to a Bucky Badger statue and a cow statue at State Street Brats in Madison, Wisconsin, as part of the Bucky on Parade exhibit. A girl in a red Pokemon shirt giving a thumbs up stands next to a colorful sailboat statue, part of the Bucky on Parade, in front of a café.

One of the things I loved about this event was that it got kids interactive with maps. My 4 year old son is really into maps lately and many times we got in the car this summer my kids would pull out the Bucky map to read the street names and see what was near us. I definitely think it helped both of them with their map reading skills!

Two smiling children pose in front of a colorful bear statue outside a gallery, part of the Bucky on Parade series. A girl poses with a colorful badger statue wearing a red outfit, standing outdoors in a park as part of the Bucky on Parade series. Two children stand next to a large blue statue in a park with a stone wall in the background, part of the Bucky on Parade art series.

The Golden Bucky! This one moved around throughout the area.

A woman with two children smiles in front of a large golden Bucky Badger statue.

These are my parents. Hi Mom! (My mom reads my blog and leaves me comments sometimes.)

Two adults and two young children pose with a colorful badger statue in an outdoor park setting, showcasing a piece from the Bucky on Parade collection. A child poses next to a large mascot statue holding a drum with a big "W" on it, part of the Bucky on Parade series.

The Celestial Bucky was my favorite! Statue of a stylized badger painted with a cosmic design, part of the Bucky on Parade series, set outdoors with a lake and park in the background. Woman smiling and taking a selfie with a colorful, painted animal statue in the background outdoors, part of the Bucky on Parade exhibit.

My daughter managed to find all 85 and I think I saw about 83.

I had students bring in pictures of themselves with the Buckys and I posted them all over this bulletin board. Then I had three different grade levels create these giant Bucky “puzzles”.

Panoramic view of a school hallway with colorful Group Artworks, a bulletin board displaying numerous photos, and decorated cutouts.

I drew out the Bucky image on large banner paper. Then, I cut each one up into about 40 pieces. Kids each got a piece of the Bucky to decorate. They did not know what the final image was until they guessed it. Every class figured it out as we were working by asking questions.. “is it an animal?” etc. Then, we reassembled and taped all of the pieces together.

A hallway adorned with colorful cut-out figures and various artworks, including a framed painting of blue flowers, showcases group artworks.

On this first Bucky, the kids could do whatever they wanted, but they had to include red somewhere on their piece. I thought that might tie it all together.

The school hallway wall features colorful artwork and photo displays, including vibrant cutouts, framed crafts, and a large Group Artwork project.

On the 2nd one, they had to use cool colors on their piece. That worked out mostly!

School hallway with colorful student art projects and an orange bulletin board with photos.

The last one was Warm Color Bucky. Again, you can see where they mostly got the idea of warm colors!

A colorful abstract artwork of a standing figure with a mix of patterns, mounted on a wall. This piece is part of the Bucky on Parade collection. A school hallway bulletin board displays colorful art projects, student photos, and a variety of posted notices, including an impressive group artwork. A colorful, abstract art piece shaped like a standing figure is displayed on a wall next to a bulletin board, capturing the vibrant spirit of Bucky on Parade. Colorful, abstract artwork of a figure next to a bulletin board displaying photos and a zigzag border. Colorful abstract artwork of a Bucky Badger on a wall. Two colorful, abstract Bucky Badger figures with vibrant, patterned designs on a wall.

The Official Bucky on Parade Website

What is Bucky on Parade?

Bucky on Parade: Sneak Preview

Unloading the Buckys

Unveiling of Some of the Downtown Buckys

Bucky on Parade

Golden Bucky

The other thing my students did was design their own themed Bucky on a template provided for them. These turned out soooo cool!! In my next blog post, I will post some of these pictures.