Headline: Saloon's Sally drawn less salaciously
Publish Date: 02/18/1993

By Jaime Velarde

Staff Reporter

To the patrons of Sally's Saloon and Eatery, Goldy Gopher's new 
girlfriend wasn't his type.

Or theirs.

When the Stadium Village saloon opened in December, it revealed a new 
logo: Sally, a buxom, racy and scantily-clad woman's body topped by a 
chipmunk's head.

``We wanted the Minnesota Gopher to have a girlfriend,'' said Chris 
Diebold, owner of the bar.

But a few days after her unveiling, the letters started coming. 
People complained that the new girlfriend was libidinous, suggestive 
and downright offensive.

In fact, so many letters arrived that plastic surgery was ordered. 
Over winter break the voluptuous cartoon character underwent breast 
reduction and changed into a more demure sweater. Tennis shoes are 
also on order.

``I had no idea (the logo) was sexist. If I thought it was sexist I 
wouldn't have put it up,'' Diebold said.

And the cost for this advertising transformation?  About $4,000.

The revamped Sally has already debuted in newspaper ads. And once the 
temperature warms up, the eatery's awnings will also be painted with 
the more modest Goldy gal.

Eventually, the coy version of the Sally logo will even adorn 
uniforms and table displays.

Bar manager Tim Diebold said we never meant for Sally to be 
offensive.

Said Diebold: ``It's a cartoon.''

Reactions to the logo debacle have ranged from ambivalence to anger.

Calling the first Sally ``offensive``, College of Liberal Arts senior 
Rebecca St. George said, ``It makes a woman less than human.''

``It's taking all of the people that objectify women and using it to 
bring people to the bar,'' St. George said.

But others said the suggestive rendering of the Sally logo wouldn't 
keep them away from the saloon.

``You get pretty used to the weird pictures,'' said Cyndi Williamson, 
a senior in the Institute of Technology.

Third-year pharmacy student Scott Chapman said, ``It doesn't bother 
me at all.''