Everything You Need to Know about Texas' Homecoming Mum Tradition

Clear eyes, fancy mums. You can't lose.

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If you live in Texas, you know there's more to homecoming than football and alumni events. The homecoming mum has risen from its humble beginnings in the 1950s and '60s to become a statement-making hallmark of high school life in the Lone Star State. We rounded up a brief history of the tradition, plus some eye-catching ideas to inspire you to craft a mum of your own.

What is a homecoming mum?

The homecoming "mum" began as a sweet Texan token of affection given to a girl by her date in honor of the high school homecoming football game and surrounding events. Often in-season during the early fall months in Texas, chrysanthemums became the unofficial flower of high school homecoming events. A boy would accent a simple bloom with a few ribbons or adornments and give it to a date who would proudly wear the floral brooch to the homecoming game or dance. Back then, a typical mum cost around $3.

How did the mum tradition evolve?

As mums grew in popularity throughout the latter half of the 20th century, the tradition spread into neighboring states like Oklahoma and Louisiana. And as popularity grew, so did the average size of a mum. (Everything’s bigger in Texas, right?) By the 1980s and '90s, mums became increasingly elaborate, and real chrysanthemum blooms were replaced with artificial flowers in varying shades, carefully selected to match school colors. Rather than attempt to pin the larger arrangements to their clothing, young women wore their mums around their necks.

What do mums look like today?

Of course, the bigger the mum, the heavier, and the more durable the backing material must be. Today, cardboard is often replaced with plexiglass, and ornately decorated mums can weigh more than 20 pounds! The dimensions are jaw-dropping—sometimes covering a student’s entire torso—and that can make it tough for folks to maneuver through school hallways. These days, accessories aren’t limited to flowers and ribbons. Think: battery operated lights and noisemakers, airhorns, and multiple stuffed animals. Most still wear their mums to classes on the Friday of homecoming weekend, but not without complications—some schools have pushed back on the tradition, due to the distractions caused by the size and flashy nature of the mums.

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1 The Homecoming Mum's Humble Beginnings
H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStockGetty Images

An early picture of a couple in the 1960s showcases the early tradition of mums as football game accessories. (Note the reasonable size and relatively understated ribbons!)

2 State-Shaped Homecoming Mum

Fast forward 50 years, and you have a back-breaking, Texas-shaped mum that boasts multiple teddy bears, ribbons galore, and a glitzy "Senior" denotation.

3 How to Make Your Own Homecoming Mum

It's not quite a Texas-sized masterpiece, but here's a quick tutorial on how to make a mum. If you're convinced that bigger is always better, you should know that the large-scale mums are going to use up hundreds of yards of ribbon and about 14 hours of your life.

4 A Booming Business

Today, many Texas residents turn to professional mum makers, who can transform a student's list of activities and passions into an elaborate mum masterpiece. (Try: Angels Nest Designs, Mums Inc., Melz Mumz, and The Mum Queen.)

5 Customized Homecoming Mums

Unsure of your mum design plan? A simple Instagram search brings up plenty of ideas, from custom-lettered ribbon to sport-specific centerpieces. (We're partial to the volleyball accessory!)

6 Light It Up

With battery-operated lights, there's no limit to the amount of glitz and glam possible on a handmade mum.

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