When most people think of Mississippi State University, they likely picture engineers and veterinarians and perhaps even crave muscadine ripple ice cream and Edam cheese, but MSU is known for something else, too — the cowbell. MSU’s cowbell tradition dates back to the late 1930s and early 1940s and has been a part of the universitiy’s culture since then according to MSU’s website. Therefore, Starkville boasts a large selection of cowbells.
I wanted to know where I could find the best cowbell options, so over the course of this week, I undertook a cowbell crawl, visiting five stores and determining which establishments offer the most affordable and unique cowbells.
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble at MSU has two brands of cowbells, LOGO Officially Licensed Cowbell and Gametime Sidekicks, that come in boxes on display tables throughout the store. The Gametime Sidekicks cowbells cost $39.98, and the Officially Licensed Cowbells cost $34.98. These cowbells are more expensive than those other shops offer. Barnes & Noble does have a convenient location on campus for last-minute cowbell purchases, though.
Both brands at Barnes & Noble offer a variety of stickers, from the interlocking MSU logo to the “MSU Mom” and “MSU Dad” labels, but the cowbells only come in one size in a combination of maroon and white. The Gametime Sidekicks cowbells also have a rougher texture and a more matte look than the cowbells I saw at other stores.
I honestly expected the selection at Barnes & Noble to be worse. They offer many sticker combinations, even if they do not have different colors and sizes at the moment. However, they do not seem to offer as many plain cowbells, so I would not go to Barnes & Noble to get a cowbell if I planned to decorate with stickers or paint on my own.
The Lodge by Alumni Hall
The Lodge by Alumni Hall boasts an entire wall lined with cowbells in the back left of the store.
From plain cowbells to cowbells with stickers, from baby cowbells to giant cowbells, The Lodge definitely has the greatest variety of cowbells in Starkville. They also have an extensive price range, featuring several specialty cowbells like a metal cowbell at $50, a cowbell with a wooden baseball bat for $66 and even a cowbell with a hidden flask for $70.
Solid cowbells are available in maroon, white and pink for $26 in the small size, $30 in the medium and $35 in the large size. The large cowbell is significantly bigger; I can only imagine the workout from ringing that monster of a cowbell.
Overall, the cowbells at The Lodge feel heavy and durable, and they have a large quantity of each type. The solid colors are shiny and relatively affordable, and The Lodge’s variety of cowbell options and customization stickers do not disappoint.
Maroon & Co.
Maroon & Co. seems to have the same shiny, lacquered look to its cowbells as The Lodge, with many of the same sticker options, including some for alumni. However, the store as a whole has a much smaller selection of cowbells than The Lodge. They have the baby cowbells but not the large ones. Right now, they offer light blue cowbells in small and standard sizes, though, which The Lodge does not have.
Most of Maroon & Co.’s cowbells — the standard size with a single sticker — cost $34. The blank standard cowbells cost $30. As for the baby cowbells, the ones with a single sticker cost $28, while the blank baby cowbells cost $24.
I would recommend checking out Maroon & Co. if you do not want to be intimidated by the sheer number of options at The Lodge but also want cool sticker options and a shiny bell. The Lodge and Maroon & Co. have relatively similar prices, too.
Walmart
While I remember seeing many cowbells at the Walmart Supercenter at the beginning of August, that selection has since disappeared to make room for Halloween candy displays and pumpkins. I could only find cowbells in the back of the store in the Mississippi State gear section next to the toys and technology aisles.
Walmart has only one type of cowbell in this section — a shiny, standard maroon cowbell of medium size. This cowbell costs $22.97, though, so Walmart has the cheapest standard cowbell out of the five stores I visited. To be fair to Walmart, it is no longer the beginning of football season.
Campus Book Mart
The Campus Book Mart does not have the number of cowbells that The Lodge’s cowbell wall has, but they have just as many options. Tucked away in the back left of the store, the Book Mart’s cowbell display has a variety of maroon, white, black, pink and light blue cowbells. The store also has multiple types of metal cowbells and baseball bat cowbells. The Lodge may have more sticker types and larger quantities, but Campus Book Mart has the best selection of colors, sizes and different types of materials. They also sell the flask cowbell for less at $64.99.
The Book Mart’s medium-sized cowbell costs $26.99, and their large cowbell costs $29.99. These cowbells are a little cheaper than the ones at The Lodge or Maroon & Co.
I was most impressed by the adorable, tiny cowbell ornaments for $16.99, which look just like real, functioning cowbells.
Overall, whether you need to gift someone his or her first cowbell or your cowbell has seen better days because of years of ringing, you have lots of places in Starkville where you can buy your next bell, but not all these places provide the same selection.
