Texas Longhorns “Hook ’Em Horns” Bobblehead Unveiled to Celebrate College Colors Day

This morning, to celebrate College Colors Day and in conjunction with the kickoff of the 2026 football season and start of the new school year, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled an officially licensed, limited-edition Texas Longhorns “Hook ’Em Horns” Bobblehead. The bobblehead is part of our new College Slogan Series featuring nearly 30 of the best college slogans. The special edition bobblehead is being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, an official licensee of the University of Texas at Austin.

All the details about the Hook ’Em bobblehead are below, and you can find pictures and graphics of the bobblehead that you can use at this Dropbox link. The bobbleheads are now available in our online store at the following link.

• The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in February, are now available at this link.
• Each bobblehead will be individually numbered to only 2,026.
• The bobbleheads are $40 each, plus an $8 flat-rate shipping charge per order.
• Standing on a “Hook ’Em Horns” base in school colors, the Hook ’Em bobblehead is wearing an orange No. 1 football jersey while giving the “Hook ’Em Horn” hand gesture.
• Students, alumni, and fans of the university employ a greeting consisting of the phrase “Hook ’Em” or “Hook ’Em Horns.” The “Hook ’Em Horns” hand sign was created by UT student H.K. Pitts in November 1955 and officially introduced to the public by head yell leader Harley Clark on November 11th, 1955, at a campus pep rally. It quickly became the definitive symbol of school pride for the University of Texas. Pitts invented the hand shape while making shadow puppets and messing around with friends, realizing the silhouette mimicked a Longhorn steer’s head. To make the hand sign: Raise your hand, extend the index and pinky fingers outward like horns, and fold the middle two fingers down with the thumb holding them in place.
• The bobblehead is being released in conjunction with College Colors Day, which is celebrated annually on the Friday before Labor Day for the start of the new college football season and school year. The fall semester began on Monday, August 24th for undergraduate students. The Longhorns open the 2026 football season on Saturday, September 5th against Texas State at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
• “Hook ’Em Horns is often seeing at sporting events, during the playing of the school song “The Eyes of Texas,” and during the playing of the school fight song “Texas Fight.” It is one of the most recognized hand signals in all American universities. The gesture gained massive statewide and national recognition over the decades, even landing on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1973 as a symbol of elite college athletics. The sign later inspired the creation of the physical costumed mascot Hook ’Em in 1975, supplementing the live longhorn mascot, Bevo.
• “We’re excited to unveil this ‘Hook ’Em Horns’ bobblehead as part of our College Slogan collection,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “As one of the most iconic and recognized hand gestures in college sports, ‘Hook ’Em Horns’ gets UT fans fired up every time. This bobblehead is a must-have for Longhorn fans everywhere!”
• The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which is located at 170 S. 1st St. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, opened to the public on February 1st, 2019. The HOF and Museum also produces high quality, customized bobbleheads for retail sale as well as organizations, individuals, and teams across the country.