Clemson notoriety can come in many forms. From legendary quarterbacks such as Deshaun Watson to even famous political figures such as Nikki Haley, we have proven to be the college home of an array of notable people. However, one of Clemson’s current students potentially has taken the most unique way to gain notoriety. I’m talking about the campus legend Shrek.
If you have taken time to walk around campus on game days, you have probably seen Shrek. White shirt, brown vest, giant green ears and absolutely covered in green paint, that’s the man. You’ll likely catch him dragging a giant speaker blaring All Star by Smash Mouth, singing along without a care in the world and with seemingly no strict path to follow. He’s been spotted everywhere from the Core dining hall to just about any tailgating lot imaginable. Ask anyone on campus and they likely have a Shrek story. So after realizing I had added him on Snapchat last year through one of his many Snapcode stickers around campus, I decided to contact him for an interview.
J: First and foremost, how has your day been so far?
S: It was good. I went to Schiletter, did some work. Schiletter is my swamp, by the way.
J: So when did your Shrek fandom begin?
S: It was actually back in sophomore year, high school. It was for a Spanish project. We were supposed to report on a person, but the teacher didn’t say what KIND of person. That’s when I was like, “hey, Shrek is the biggest meme right now, so why not?”. And people liked it, so I kept doing it.
J: Is that when your fandom began though? When did you first see the movie?
S: I actually saw it in theaters when I was two or three, right when it came out.
J: So you’ve been in this thing from the ground up.
S: Yep. Guess I’ve been a lifelong fan.
J: So fast-forward, you’re dressing up for football games. What’s the motive there?
S: Like I said, people like it. I get a lot of clout.
J: You definitely get that. You’ve been on Barstool a few times, and whenever you’re out in costume you’ve always got people around you.
S: Yeah. Seeing myself on Instagram and Snapchat is always cool, but I want to go further.
J: Have you ever gotten in trouble for it?
S: When I did the project for class, a new lady tried to stick me with a dress code violation. Thankfully one of the principals was in there, and she just laughed, cleared me of charges, and sent me back to lunch.
J: But nothing so far on campus?
S: Nothing so far, sadly.
J: Do you have an endgame here?
S: Well I’d like to get on the news, maybe even get noticed by Dreamworks.
J: That’s a big jump.
S: Yeah. Getting a cease-and-desist letter from them would be one of my dreams.
J: That’s awesome.
S: If I had one goal though, it would be to change one thing about Clemson to be more Shrek-esque.
J: That’s a pretty lofty goal. Maybe you could just get on the field.
S: I think I could do that before I graduate. A lot of football players know me, I’m assuming from Barstool.
J: Maybe you could get in contact with Dabo or Clements or someone.
S: Maybe I could just knock on Clements’ door. He’d say something like “oh, you’re Shrek” and I’d be in.
J: So that’s the goal. We’re gonna get you on the field.
S: I guess so.
J: Where can we find you, Shrek?
S: You can find me in Schiletter. Like I said, that’s my swamp.
J: Any social media?
S: My Snapchat is ploops12. That’s where I’ll post anything Shrek-related.