You must have seen those adorable pictures of squirrels wearing equivalently cute hats and is one of those thousands of people who liked the photos on Facebook. Well, the squirrel, the most popular unofficial mascot of Penn State, is Sneezy the Penn State Squirrel. Now, the woman behind Sneezy, fondly called the Squirrel Whisperer will be graduating from Penn State. Will we never see another squirrel wearing a cute hat ever again?
Mary Kruppa, 22-years-old, is the young lady behind the viral photos of those squirrels wearing hats. The Penn State student taking up English as a major and minoring in Wildlife started the idea of a squirrel wearing hats when she wondered what a squirrel would look like wearing a hat. Mary, who is like the real-life Snow White, was able to coax a squirrel on the grounds of Penn State to wear a hat. She then took a picture of it and sent it to her grandmother. Obviously, her grandmother was extremely pleased by the photo.
I'm all dressed up for #squirrelweek! To see more of my pictures, check out my Facebook page: https://t.co/OkooknsfTX pic.twitter.com/dXIAVyKh3u
— Sneezy the Squirrel (@SneezySquirrel) April 8, 2013
Ever since then, Mary Kruppa has made it her mission to capture squirrels wearing hats she made herself and sharing it through Facebook. Mary got even more determined to share her photos during the time the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal hit Penn State. She wanted to cheer people up with her photos.
The squirrels, living around the trees near the Old Main building at Penn State, are collectively known as Sneezy the Penn State Squirrel. Sneezy has become the most popular unofficial mascot of the university. Even incoming freshmen students of Penn State know more about Mary Kruppa, the Squirrel Whisperer, and Sneezy the Penn State Squirrel.
Mary Kruppa who is diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome credits the squirrels for helping her come out of her shell. The squirrel photos and her natural affinity with the squirrels at Penn State are the perfect ice-breakers for someone as shy and anti-social as her.
Although Mary Kruppa will be graduating from Penn State, she will be staying near the area. So fans of Sneezy the Penn State Squirrel will still be able to see photos of the squirrels. This a far cry from those squirrels in Chicago who retaliated at a politician who called them "aggressive".
