Northern Kentucky University’s attempt at an April Fools’ Day joke received backlash on social media, leading to the removal of the post.

On Tuesday morning, the university announced via Instagram and Facebook a new mascot would be joining the ranks of Victor E. Viking. The new character, “Vicky E. Viking,” would be the “long-lost twin sister” of Victor, according to the social media post. 

The post also included an image of the new mascot standing beside Victor on campus.

The hashtag “#AprilFoolsDay” was included at the bottom of the post, signaling the joke.

Within an hour, the post had more than 20 comments on Facebook and more than five comments on Instagram. There was a mix of reactions, with some seemingly oblivious to the prank, saying the new mascot was “interesting” or a good idea.

Others, however, picked up on the April Fools’ Day joke and expressed their disappointment with the university’s humor. Some students commented on Instagram, asking what was the punchline of the joke.

On Friday, NKU announced it would dissolve many of its diversity, equity and inclusion programs after the final approval of Kentucky House Bill 4. This includes the dissolution of LGBTQA+, African American and Latino Student Initiatives and more. 

With this in mind, many social media users took to Facebook to voice their disapproval.

One Facebook user, Dustin Thomas Lewis, said he defended the university’s announcement related to DEI, but the joke had gone too far. “I’d take it down while you still can,” the user wrote.

In less than a couple hours after the initial posting, the university removed the post from all social media platforms. 

NKU has not made a follow up post at the time of publication.