Homecoming season is here — and if you’re from Texas, you know it’s more than just ribbons, football, and alumni events. Homecoming mums have been a tradition in Texas since the early 1900s and have since become a statement-making hallmark of high school life in the Lone Star State.
What is a homecoming mum?
For those of you who are new to the area, you might be wondering what we’re talking about. Mums are considered a token of affection — typically given to a girl by her date in honor of homecoming celebrations. Traditionally, students will wear a mum to school on homecoming Friday, the football game, and other alumni events.
The start of a Texas tradition
According to Texas Highways, the first mums were worn at homecoming in Missouri in 1911. The tradition became popular in Texas in the 1930s when Baylor University hosted the first-ever homecoming celebration in the state.
Back in the day, a mum was a simple chrysanthemum with a few ribbons that would be pinned to a girl’s clothing. But nowadays, the gaudier the better.
Real flowers have been replaced with artificial ones so students can have the mum as a keepsake. Accessories include school-colored ribbons, stuffed animals, bells, battery-operated lights, feathers, and different trinkets highlighting the student’s hobbies.
Although not as elaborate as a girl’s mum, boys will receive a garter to wear on their arm with ribbons and other smaller trinkets similar to a mum.
Fact: Everything really is bigger in Texas
Can you imagine hauling around these Guinness World Record-breaking mums?
- In October 2023, Lewisville High School broke records with a 27-sqm (290.64-sqft) maroon and white mum in honor of the school’s 125th anniversary.
- Walnut Grove High School in Prosper suspended a two-story silver and navy mum with sparkly stars and a large chevron ribbon from the school’s atrium.
- Arlington ISD previously claimed the largest homecoming mum with a 22-ft-long, 6.5-sqm pink and white creation honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
- Before that, beloved Texas fast-food chain Whataburger held the “World’s Largest Mum” record with its 18-ft-tall orange and white mum that took 120 hours to build and was constructed with 1,250 flower heads, 50 Whataburger drink cups, 100 fry containers, 300 feet of ribbon, 80 bracelets and key chains, and 165 feet of feathered fringe.
A blooming business
Today, Texans can turn to professional mum makers to create their homecoming masterpiece. Depending on size and accessories, mums can range anywhere from $10 to upwards of $600 — yes, really $600.
If you’re looking to get one made, here are a few local shops around the metroplex.
- Spotlight Homecoming Mums, Benbrook
- Smith’s Balloon Works & Homecoming Headquarters, West Meadowbrook
- Mums and Kisses, Crowley
- Rhonda’s Creative Corner, Grand Prairie
- The Mum Shop, Allen
Share a photo of your mum for a chance to be featured in a future edition of the newsletter.
We designed our own
Editor Elizabeth here. I feel like I missed out on this fun Texas tradition, and it’s time to catch up. As some of you know, I didn’t attend high school in Texas; therefore, I never got to experience the glitz and glam of sporting a unique, over-the-top homecoming mum. And if I had a second chance, you know I’d make it over-the-top...
So, that’s exactly what I did. Last month, I called on readers to design a homecoming mum for me, but make it entirely Fort Worth-themed with all the proper (cow)bells and whistles. Now, I’m happy to present the mum of my dreams.
We want to give a shoutout and special thanks to Smith’s Homecoming Mums & Party HQ for allowing us to give Elizabeth her dream mum. Be sure to check them out on Lancaster Avenue for your mum and party needs. They can take your vision of any homecoming mum to life. They also have every kind of plain and themed party supply that you would ever need, like cards, balloons, decorations, and more.
