A new arrival at West Virginia University Hospitals is cause for celebration. The Friends Gift Shop welcomes Baby Monti to the Mountaineer family.
Baby Monti is a smaller, 18" version of the 25" Gund teddy bear nicknamed "Monti" after the West Virginia motto, "Montani Semper Liberi — Mountaineers are always free."
Adorned with a coonskin cap, buckskin-like scarf and trademark WVU logo, Baby Monti is the perfect addition to any Mountaineer fan's collection.
As an added treat, Baby Monti plays John Denver's "Country Roads."
Monti and Baby Monti both come with hangtags explaining a brief history of the WVU Mountaineer Mascot, which first appeared at University sporting events during the 1936-37 school year.
Baby Monti is available for $29.99, while the original Monti can be purchased for $39.99.
Money raised from the sale of Monti goes to the Friends of WVU Hospitals, which supports patient care and comfort. Programs include greeting cards for patients, providing tea in the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, and providing wireless internet service for hospital patients and visitors.