Oakland Zoo (cheering Section) - T-shirts and Merchandising

T-shirts and Merchandising

Students in the section wear gold T-shirts with an "Oakland Zoo" logo, whose design is altered for each new season, printed on the front. In some iterations, the back of the shirt resembles a jersey, with the name "Panthers" printed above a large number 6, which stands for the "Sixth Man in the Stands," the fans. The designs for the 2004-05 to 2008-09 seasons were completed by Pitt graduate student and former Oakland Zoo President David Jedlicka, known as "the Bald Guy". Since the 2010-11, T-shirt logo designs have been by graphic designer Sean Montgomery and have incorporated various elements from the University of Pittsburgh's seal that itself includes a stylized version of the city of Pittsburgh's coat of arms that in turn is derived from the arms of the namesake of the city, William Pitt. On the backs of these recent t-shirts there is also a depiction of the university's Cathedral of Learning. Symbolizing the link between the basketball team and the student section, the image of the Cathedral of Learning on the back of the Zoo's t-shirts mimics the one found in the aerographic of the Nike game jerseys worn by the team, and likewise, the team's game jerseys' aerographic includes an Oakland Zoo logo in their design. The university's motto, logo, founding date, and various basketball imagery have also been recently incorporated into the t-shirt designs.

Oakland Zoo T-shirts are available for purchase by the general public in the official Pittsburgh Panthers Team Store and other outlets. Other merchandise, including pink ladies Oakland Zoo t-shirts, hoodies, and polo shirts are also available. In addition, the official team store sells limited edition plush animals outfitted with Oakland Zoo t-shirts. Individually numbered Oakland Zoo animals outfitted with 2006-2007 Oakland Zoo t-shirts that were produced in the first edition of the Oakland Zoo collection (with release date) included Corey the Giraffe (12-14-06), Romper the Monkey (1-7-2007), Francis the Polar Bear (1-27-2007), and Porter the Tiger (2-12-2007). The second edition of the Oakland Zoo collection with their release date are as follows: Cagney King of the Jungle (10-31-07), Corbin the Elephant (11-23-07), Hobart the Brown Bear (1-2-08), and Dandy the Duck (1-30-08). A third edition for 2008-09 includes the release of Kirby the Koala and Penelope the Penguin wearing Oakland Zoo VI t-shirts.