Help us choose our mascot!
Kaleideum, Best of Winston, and the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership are teaming up to let YOU choose Kaleideum’s next mascot! Will it be Huey the Macaw, Digger the Gopher Tortoise, or Pinky the Axolotl?
Voting opens October 1 and closes October 23.
The winner will be announced during Ghoul Times on Saturday, October 25.
Huey the Macaw
Meet Huey, a colorful chatterbox who loves to dance and has been delighting visitors at Kaleideum since 1991!
- A blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna) born in 1985.
- Loves to say “Hello,” “Pretty Bird,” and “Bye Bye”—and even calls out for Kevin, Kaleideum’s Director of Animal Care.
- Native to the rainforests of Central and South America.
- Enjoys a diet of seeds, fruits, and nuts.
✨ Fun fact: Macaws can live 50 years or more—Huey is celebrating his 40th birthday this year!
Digger the Gopher Tortoise
Meet Digger, Kaleideum’s oldest resident and star of educational programs since he was donated to the Nature Science Center in 1983!
- A gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) and keystone species, whose burrows shelter more than 300 other animals, including frogs, snakes, and rodents.
- Can live 40–60 years, though some reach 100+.
- Famous for digging tunnels up to 40 feet long.
- Eats grasses, wild lettuce, clover, blackberries, wild grapes, and even poison ivy.
✨ Fun fact: Digger has been part of Kaleideum for more than 40 years—longer than many of our visitors have been alive!
Pinky the Axolotl
Meet Pinky, a rare amphibian that’s not only found in Minecraft, but right here at Kaleideum!
- An axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) found only in Mexico’s freshwater lakes.
- Unlike most amphibians, axolotls keep their feathery gills for life.
- Nearly extinct in the wild, Pinky was bred in a Wake Forest University lab and joined Kaleideum in 2023.
- Eats small fish, bugs, mollusks, worms, and plankton.
✨ Fun fact: Axolotls never show signs of aging—Pinky will always look forever young!
Who will represent Kaleideum?
It’s up to YOU! Cast your vote starting October 1 and join us at Ghoul Times for the big reveal.