The Jeep name and mascot has a history consistent with the tradition of the time in which it was selected. One night a group of fifteen basketball players discussed a mascot for Dubois High School. After a long and heated discussion, the group unanimously decided on "JEEP" as the school mascot. The next morning the group approached Principal and Coach, Dallas Ferguson, with their discussion and decision. Mr. Ferguson concurred, and Dubois High School had an official mascot.

According to Wikipedia, the free online and volunteer made Encyclopedia, Eugene the Jeep is a character in the Thimble Theatre comic strip, which stars Popeye. His first appearance was in the March 16, 1936 strip. Eugene was a gift to Olive Oyl from her Uncle Ben who found Eugene in Africa. His diet consisted of only orchids. He resembles a bear in terms of ears and head, but he has a very large nose, a long tail, and a protruding stomach. He is known for his superhuman abilities.

Attributes:

1. Yellow in color
2. Roughly the size of a dog
3. Walked on his hind legs
4. The only thing that he could say was the word "Jeep"
5. Always told the truth (by means of body language or vocal inflection when asked fairly simple "yes or no" style questions)
   

Abilities:

1. Said to be able to cross into the fourth dimension.
2. Ability to solve complex problems for Popeye and Olive Oyl
3. Could walk through walls and walk on ceilings
4. Limited form of teleportation since he could disappear and reappear in other places.

In an August 9 strip entitled "What's a Jeep?", Popeye asks Professor
Brainstine what exactly a Jeep is, and gets the following response:

"A Jeep is an animal living in a three dimensional world-in this case our world- but really belonging to a fourth dimensional world. Here's what happened. A number of Jeep life cells were somehow forced through the dimensional barrier into our world. They combined at a favorable time with free life cells of the African Hooey Hound. The electrical vibrations of the Hooey Hound cell and the foreign cell were the same. They were kindred cells. In fact, all things are to some extent are relative, whether they be of this or some other world, now you see. The extremely favorable conditions of germination in Africa caused a fusion of these life cells. So the uniting of kindred cells caused a transmutation. The result, a mysterious strange animal."

Alves J. Kreitzer, a local store owner in Dubois (who would later become the coach of the basketball team) purchased a miniature Jeep in St. Louis, and it became the team mascot. The first game played as Jeeps was played at Shoals on November 6, 1936. The Jeeps won the game 29-21 and went on to establish a 17-4 won-lost record that season. The 1937-38 season brought a mark of 18-5, and the Jeep mascot was here to stay.

The only other school in the country that we know of with the JEEP as a mascot is South Webster High School in Ohio.

Below, you can see Eugene the Jeep. He is the yellowish cat-like creature at the bottom of the picture.