Entry No. 38 — the Wichita file — filed under: roadside-oddity
WuShock: Fighting-Mad Wheat Statue
Standing eight feet tall outside the Steve Clark YMCA on Wichita State's campus, WuShock is a bronze bundle of wheat with bulging muscles, a WSU letter sweater, bare feet, and a wheat stalk clenched in his teeth — fists raised and ready to throw down. The mascot himself has been a Kansas icon since 1948 (the name fuses "Wu" from Wichita State University with "Shock" from wheat-shocking), but this one-of-a-kind sculpture — designed by Wade Hampton and cast in bronze by Connie Ernatt — only arrived in 2020. WSU itself quietly brands it a campus "hidden gem" that even current students tend to overlook, which is exactly the kind of endorsement that should put it on your radar. Roadside America has already flagged it as a genuine offbeat oddity; most Wichitans still haven't made the pilgrimage.
The move: Roll up to the Steve Clark YMCA entry plaza, take the required selfie with WuShock mid-fist-pump, then wander the surrounding campus before grabbing food on nearby 21st Street — it's a thirty-minute detour that earns you full weird-Wichita bragging rights.
📍 Before you go It stands on the open entry plaza where Mike Oatman and Mid-Campus Drives meet, fronting the Student Wellness Center on WSU's main campus in northeast Wichita (near 21st and Hillside). The plaza is public, so you walk right up and pose — no membership or going indoors needed. The bronze is viewable year-round; aim for daylight for the selfie. As on most campuses, weekday-term parking may want a visitor permit or metered lot, while evenings, weekends, and summer are easier. For a better pairing than the obvious food run, hit the Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection ringing the nearby Ulrich Museum — 80-plus works on a free self-guided loop.
- 📍 West Wichita (WSU Campus)
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 2060 N. Mid-Campus Drive, Wichita, KS 67208
Hours: Added 2026-06-09 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Roadside America · news.wichita.edu · wichita.edu · kwch.com
last checked: 2026-06-09