We want the Lion! And the Mascot Hall of Fame does, too.

The Nittany Lion will officially be inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame and immortalized forever on the national scale. The National Mascot Hall of Fame is opening its doors in Whiting, Indiana in 2018 and will now include the Nittany Lion, the Hall of Fame announced today on Facebook live in its first annual induction announcement.

“This character is so powerful if you’ve ever been to a Nittany Lion Penn State football game during a White Out when the Nittany Lion is right out there at the 50-yard line leading the ‘We Are! Penn State, We Are! Penn State’ cheer,” Hall of Fame Founder David Raymond said. “They’re amazing, those fans. It’s wonderful news for them and now they can say forever the Nittany Lion is a member of the Mascot Hall of Fame.”

Proud to announce that, as a result of #PennState fan & selection committee votes, I'm a Mascot Hall of Famer! ? https://t.co/yx2DcvAefD pic.twitter.com/D9BkqkRnJZ

— The Nittany Lion (@NittanyLion) November 6, 2017

The Hall of Fame has been honoring school mascots for a while now, but the new center in Indiana will be the organization’s home base and will include the inducted mascots’ heads (replicas) on permanent display.

“It’s going to be about pure fun,” Raymond said, “and fun with a backdrop about how powerful characters can be.

Other mascots in this year’s induction include Sluggerrr of the Kansas City Royals, Benny the Bull of the Chicago Bulls, and Tommy Hawk of the Chicago Blackhawks.

I'm incredibly excited to join @bennythebull, @BhawkTommyHawk & @Sluggerrr in this year's Mascot Hall of Fame Class! #MHOF pic.twitter.com/G3MFKkjdf5

— The Nittany Lion (@NittanyLion) November 6, 2017