Custom "Lucky the Bulldog" USMC mascot morale patch.
Devil Dog. Teufel Hunden. Bulldog on the shoulder, since 1918.
The English bulldog has been the unofficial-and-then-official mascot of the United States Marine Corps for over a century. The lineage starts in World War I, when German reports allegedly called the attacking Marines "Teufel Hunden" — Devil Dogs — referring to the vicious mountain dogs of Bavarian folklore. The American press embraced the name in 1918, and a Charles Buckles Falls recruiting poster soon followed showing an American bulldog chasing a German dachshund. In 1921, Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler — commanding general at Quantico — purchased a registered English bulldog named King Bulwark, renamed him "Jiggs," and on October 7, 1922 personally signed the enlistment papers that made the bulldog the first official Marine Corps mascot. Jiggs was promoted from Private to Sergeant Major within months, was buried with full military honors when he died on January 9, 1927, and was followed by Jiggs II (donated by heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney), the Smedley dynasty in the 1930s–50s, and the Chesty dynasty (named after Lt. Gen. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller) running from 1957 to today's Chesty XVI, who took over the role in May 2022 as the Marine Barracks Washington mascot. "Lucky the Bulldog" puts that mascot heritage on a custom morale patch — every USMC bulldog tradition rolled into one shoulder design.
Perfect For: Active-duty and veteran Marines, Marine Corps recruits and recruiters, Marine Barracks Washington Sailors and Marines, Marine Corps families, MCRD San Diego and MCRD Parris Island alumni, USMC mascot history enthusiasts, Devil Dog tradition collectors, and English bulldog owners with Marine Corps ties.
Lucky the Bulldog — Devil Dog, Teufel Hunden, Marine forever.
