Buc-ee’s is known, in large part, for its sheer size. An average roadside fuel stop might have around 16 to 20 gas pumps for customers. But at a Buc-ee’s, that number is likely to be closer to 120. This obsession with size extends beyond the number of pumps as well, with the brand holding world records for both the largest convenience store and the longest car wash. Now, it seems, the brand may also be pursuing a record for the most litigious mascot.
On May 1, 2026, the Texas-based chain filed a lawsuit against a small Georgia convenience store chain, Teddy’s Market, alleging trademark infringement based on the similarity of the brand’s logo to that of Buc-ee’s. The Buc-ee’s logo is certainly a significant feature of the brand. The buck-toothed beaver wearing a red hat and set against a yellow background is an image recognizable from several highway miles off, calling in all would-be customers. But the branding extends well beyond just signage, with Buc-ee’s locations putting up bronze statues of the beaver mascot outside of stores and slinging colorfully named snacks like Beaver Nuggets inside.
The question, however, isn’t how important this cartoon beaver is to the Buc-ee’s brand, but rather how similar the Teddy’s mascot actually is. According to the claims made in the lawsuit, Teddy’s built its brand around a cartoon animal designed from the start to look like the cartoon beaver in question. The name, too, was called into question, with Buc-ee’s noting that Teddy’s has the same number of letters and syllables. It even ends with the same sound.
What Buc-ee’s is asking for in this lawsuit
The concern, from Buc-ee’s perspective, is that this confusion is an intentional attempt by Teddy’s to leech off the good reputation that Buc-ee’s has built over the years. As the chain describes it, if Teddy’s branding doesn’t change, it will “continue to cause irreparable injury” to the Texas brand’s hard-won image. The trouble, of course, is that the branding really doesn’t look all that similar.
Sure, both chains feature anthropomorphic cartoon animals wearing hats, but one is clearly a bear while the other is a beaver — or an otter or a weasel, it’s hard to tell what Buc-ee is exactly. The color schemes are distinct as well. Buc-ee’s uses a recognizable red and yellow palette, while Teddy’s leans mostly blue with just a bit of red in the background. There are certainly some similarities, but it all seems a bit extreme, particularly considering what Buc-ee’s is asking for in the lawsuit.
First and foremost, Buc-ee’s wants Teddy’s to remove its current branding and destroy all branded merchandise. The company also demands that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office deny Teddy’s 2024 trademark applications and that the company turn over any profits made under the current branding, paying triple damages. Whether or not the logos look similar, that last demand is a bit extreme. Unsurprisingly, this is far from the first such case that Buc-ee’s has undertaken.
Compared to Buc-ee’s previous cases, this one actually isn’t all that bad
Earlier this year, Buc-ee’s launched a similar case against an Ohio-based chain of gas stations and convenience stores called Mickey’s. Both Mickey’s and Buc-ee’s have been around since the early 1980s, and (to Buc-ee’s credit) Mickey’s only trademarked its animal logo in 2020. The rub, however, is that the Mickey’s logo is a moose. Yes, the name is again somewhat similar. Yes, it’s a cartoon animal. But no one is confusing this moose with the Buc-ee’s beaver.
The case is ongoing, with the Mickey’s filing accusing Buc-ee’s of using “meritless trademark litigation” to remove smaller competitors from the market by forcing them to fight costly legal battles (via Cleveland.com). And there may be something to this accusation. Previously, Buc-ee’s has taken to court brands with cartoon alligators, caped dogs, and even ducks on their logo.
Perhaps the most galling aspect of this entire situation is that the origin of the Buc-ee’s logo itself comes directly from another company’s branding. That famous beaver that the company fights so hard to defend was based on Bucky Beaver, the cartoon beaver mascot for Ipana Toothpaste. While that toothpaste brand was discontinued in the late ’70s, there is certainly a strong taste of irony in such staunch legal defense of a borrowed mascot.
Every brand with a well-known logo has the right to defend its trademarks, but it may be that Buc-ee’s is using its deep pockets and outsize brand awareness to bury competitors with legal fees. If this continues, it may not be long before we’re looking at a lawsuit to remove Tony the Tiger from Kellogg’s cereal brands.
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