The History of the Chicago Cubs Logo

They say chase perfection, and you will catch excellence. For the Chicago Cubs, they have been looking for the perfect logo since the 20th century, and after making changes more than 15 times, they have landed on one that they deem ideal to represent them, seeing that they have used for almost half a century.

As the only other major league team in Chicago, Chicago White Sox being the other one, it is crucial that they have their identity. Initially, the Cubs were called The White Stockings in 1876 when they became the founding member of the National League.

They carried the name until 1903 when they changed it to the current Chicago Cubs, although in between they had a few nicknames such as “Colts” and “Orphans.”

Logo as Chicago Orphans

• Running from 1898 to 1902 the Chicago Cubs were known as Chicago Orphans, and they used an old English letter “C” which was blue, with the letter representing the city of Chicago.
• In 1903, the Orphans changed to be Chicago Cubs but they did not alter the orphan’s logo. However, in 1906, the cubs decided to use “C” in brown with the “C” still representing the city of Chicago.
• In 1907, they changed the block “C” to another version that had a protruding middle design while the ends also switched to a different look. However, the color brown remained.

Here comes the bear

The first logo to have a bear was in 1908, and it featured a beige bear cub holding a bat and standing inside a navy blue “C.” The style of the letter changed from the previous versions.

From 1911 to 1914, they twisted the logo used in 1910 to have the bear now in blue. In 1915, the design changed such that the bear was no longer standing and holding a bat but was instead walking. The cub was also navy blue with a red outline. The “C” changed too to a wishbone style and had the color red with a blue border.

First wordmark

1. In 1917, the Chicago Cubs introduced their first wordmark which was “CHICAGO CUBS” only in blue. 1918 also marked the beginning of a new era since it was the first time they used the letters “UBS” in their logo. The letters were blue, inside a rectangular “C” which was in tan.
2. From 1919 to 1926, the idea of the previous logo remained with minor changes. The “C” was in red with blue trim and in wishbone style while the “UBS” changed the style as well.
3. In 1927, they re-introduced the standing bear cub still in blue, while the wishbone style “C” remained but the colors changed since it was now in red with a navy blue border.
4. 1937 to 1940 had the “C” changed from a wishbone to a more rounded one. Also, the colors became a bit lighter with the “C” now in a brighter shade of red and blue trim. Inside it were the letters “UBS.”
5. In 1941 they went from the usual bear to have only the head of an angry bear cub in brown. They used this logo until 1945.
6. In 1946, they got rid of the bear cub image and went back to the letters. “C” was in red with a form-fitting outline in blue, and “UBS” was also red and inside the letter “C.”
7. In 1948, there were only minor adjustments. They extended “C” and changed the style of “UBS.” In 1957, the change went further since they removed the “C” outline and replaced it with a circle in a darker shade of blue. “C” and “UBS” continued to be in red with “UBS” still in used “C.”

Present logo

• From 1979 till now, the Chicago Cubs logo is that of a giant “C” inside a thick blue circle. “UBS” is inside “C” and both are red.
• From the entire history, it is clear that the colors red and blue have significance to the Chicago Cubs with the only time they completely abandoned them being in 1941 to 1945 when they introduced the angry bear cub.
• Seeing that they have retained the current logo for forty years, maybe their search for the ideal logo has come to an end. However, we can never be too sure; perhaps some more logo changes are waiting to make history.

You can also read:

• The History and Evolution of the Tampa Bay Rays Logo
• The History and Evolution of the San Francisco Giants Logo
• The History and Evolution of the San Diego Padres Logo
• The History and Evolution of the New York Mets Logo
• The History and Evolution of the Texas Rangers Logo