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Rastus, Pep and Victory were a long-standing tradition of the rivalry between North Sanpete and Manti High Schools. The dolls were traded back and forth to whichever team won the basketball game until in the 60s when the tradition was discontinued.

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In 1987, Sandy and Pete were two Cabbage Patch dolls that took the place of the Rastus, Pep and Victory so the traditional rivalry between North Sanpete and Manti High Schools could be continued in a more politically correct atmosphere.

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Editor’s note: The following is compiled from an account that appeared in the North Sanpete High School (NSHS) Class of ’65 reunion book taken from a written account of V.H. Gunderson, a teacher at North Sanpete. Although the account has no beginning date, it is believed to have begun around 1907 in Mt. Pleasant.

MT. PLEASANT–A stroll past the trophy case at North Sanpete High School, one can see a trio of little black dolls prominently displayed. Many of today’s students probably don’t have a clue as to the significance of the dolls.

Rastus was a little black hand-made doll that sat on a piano in the old Overland Hotel, located on the northwest corner of 100 South and State Street in Mt. Pleasant. He was a conversation piece for all the guests of the hotel for many years. The children enjoyed walking past the hotel window, peering in to see if he was in his usual spot.

Several years later, about 1913, Manti High School’s boys basketball team came to Mt. Pleasant, some say by way of the Sanpete Creeper train, others say by horse-drawn wagon for the game. The team stayed at the hotel overnight.

North Sanpete won the game, but the next morning when the Manti team left town, they stole Rastus and took him to Manti.

At the next game, North Sanpete played Manti. The Manti boys dangled Rastus out over the court from a fishing pole, taunting the North Sanpete team during the game.

The North Sanpete boys tried to get the doll, but to no avail. At the end of the game a North Sanpete boy grabbed Rastus and ran from the gym. Miss Ryan, an English teacher at North Sanpete, had a large muff and the boys quickly handed Rastus to her and ran on. Miss Ryan hid Rastus in her muff and calmly walked to her buggy as the Manti boys ran in pursuit of the doll and the North Sanpete boys.

As the years went on, each school tried to steal Rastus from the other. Finally to foster good sportsmanship, the two schools decided that Rastus would become a trophy for each basketball game played between the two rival schools, the winner keeping Rastus until the next game.

In 1938, Rastus seemed to be in jeopardy. The student body officers and cheerleaders decided NSHS really needed better school spirit, so they purchased another black doll and named her Pep. At a pep assembly prior to a game with Manti, a wedding ceremony united Rastus and Pep and revived the school spirit.

In 1953, NSHS fell into a slump and experienced a losing streak, so again the cheerleaders and the Pep Club came to the rescue. In an assembly, they announced that Pep was very ill and perhaps dead! The student body followed the procession carrying a box (casket) to the football field where Pep would be buried. But they heard a loud clatter from the casket and they realized Pep was not dead after all. When the lid opened, Pep jumped out and to everyone’s surprise she had a baby in her arms. Rastus and Pep named their baby, Victory, because NSHS really needed a Victory!

When the new ‘gym’ was built, a new trophy case was adorned with a red swing where Rastus, Pep and Victory would be displayed. An empty swing was a silent reminder and a motivator to all, especially the boys’ basketball team.

These dolls were cherished and loved, but the world was changing in the 1960s and tragedy hit the family.

New superintendents in both districts determined that it was not politically correct to continue the tradition. In 1981, after many years, Rastus, Pep and Victory, who had been treasured, suddenly disappeared from the Manti trophy case.

When the dolls were discontinued, Rastus had been a trophy for 65 years, Pep for 40 years, and Victory for 25. It was with great sorrow when the student body and townspeople were told the dolls would not be used anymore. The original dolls disappeared. No one knows where they went, they were in Manti’s trophy case when the decision was made and no one has seen them since.

A victory symbol was designed to replace the traditional dolls and supposedly ordered to be made in Salt Lake City. However, it was never done.

In 1987, two popular and more politically correct Cabbage Patch dolls were purchased and named Sandy and Pete, but some say they can never replace the tradition and history of Rastus, Pep and Victory.

In June 2006, Rastus, Pep and Victory were found and returned to the South Sanpete School District in Manti.

Still today, fond memories are recalled and one can still hear: We’ve Got Rastus! We’ve Got Pep! We’ve Got Victory too!