The “Love Ya Lions!” mark well remembered by Penn Staters of the 1970s and ’80s is making a comeback with a new collection of merchandise.
Penn State is launching an exclusive line of products featuring the vintage mark in its distinct cartoonish font starting Saturday, Feb. 15, through local and online retailers, according to a university news release. Items will also be available for purchase at the Penn State men’s hockey game against Notre Dame on Saturday and the Nittany Lion men’s basketball game against Nebraska on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
The collection will initially feature items including apparel, hats, tumblers, stickers and decals, with additional products to be added in the future.
The product launch will also include the reintroduction of the Nittany Lion mascot caricature mark created in the late 1990s.
“There are certain marks from the University’s history that fans remember and love, which showcase the longstanding affinity for the Penn State brand,” Stephanie Petulla, Penn State director of licensing and visual identity, said in a statement. “Fans have been asking for ‘Love Ya Lions!’ to make a comeback for quite some time. Its return in 2025 is a special way to foster community and nurture pride among fans and more than 750,000 alumni while also engaging a new generation through the reintroduction of this popular vintage mark.”
“Love Ya Lions!” was initially introduced by fan engagement organization Back the Lions and became “a representation of unified pride for Penn State in the 1970s and 1980s,” as described by the university. It grew in popularity over a decade, peaking with the Penn State football team’s 1982 national championship win and a “Love Ya Lions Day,” sponsored by Back the Lions, including a parade to celebrate the championship team.
The Nittany Lion caricature meanwhile, came about when designer and longtime Penn State fan Darryl Shellhamer was asked in 1998 to create an auto magnet design that resembled a popular stuffed Nittany Lion wearing a scarf and holding up a paw in a No. 1 sign that was available in the Penn State Bookstore. The mark would also go on to appear shirt, vinyl decals and stickers
In the new collection, the updated Lion caricature is pictured holding a “Love Ya Lions” flag.
“Vintage and retro designs are more popular in the collegiate market than in any other market that we’re doing business in, and it’s easy to see why,” Shellhamer said in a statement. “Alumni hold the designs from their era very close to their heart. Those are the designs that say ‘We Are Penn State’ to them.”
