BEAVERCREEK, Ohio (AP) — A lip-licking alligator, a smiling moose and a bear in a hat are among the many cartoon animals in the crosshairs of Buc-ee’s, the popular Texas convenience store chain that has a penchant for protecting its buck-toothed beaver. But now Buc-ee’s has sparked backlash across Ohio and beyond after confronting a beaver in the town of Beavercreek. another trademark infringement lawsuit by Buc-ee’s Ltd. Beaver’s Mini Mart supporters attacked Buc-ee’s online and boycotted the stores, and the mini mart’s hometown passed a resolution making the beaver an official part of its history. British comedian John Oliver has even weighed in on the brouhaha. On an episode of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” the comedian detailed Buc-ee’s aggressive history of trademark lawsuits targeting various woodland creatures and launched a website that sells products with a knockoff “Buc-off” logo and a mascot squirrel named Mr. Nutterbutter. On X, #boycottbucees was trending. Buc-ee’s sued Beaver’s Mini Mart in late July, four months after the chain known for its wide food offerings and oversized bathrooms opened its first store in Ohio less than a half-hour drive away. Buc-ee’s maintains that the store’s beaver logo looks too similar to the convenience store giant’s Buc-ee (“Bucky”) brand beaver. The Texas-based company requested a jury trial in federal court in Ohio. Buc-ee’s claims the right to protect its valuable logo. Beaver’s Mini Mart occupies a long, low, tile-roofed building at a suburban intersection. In contrast, the new 74,000-square-foot (6,875-square-meter) Buc-ee’s off Interstate 70 near Dayton has more than 100 gas pumps, 24 electric vehicle chargers and 700 parking spaces. A second store was approved to open in Ohio in 2028. As it prepared to enter the state in February, Buc-ee’s sued the northern Ohio holding company over Mickey Mart gas stations, arguing that its Mickey the Moose logo could be confused with Buc-ee’s. (The company’s response: “A moose is not a beaver.”) Buc-ee’s beaver logo features the face of a beaver with prominent buck teeth wearing a red cap on a yellow background. The Beaver’s Mini Mart mascot is a full, naked beaver, waving and smiling on a white background. Customers have criticized Buc-ee’s decision to target the much smaller store. “I love Buc-ee’s, but I don’t plan on coming back until they start making better business decisions,” Austin Collins, 32, a Fairborn project manager, said outside Beaver’s, where he was making his first visit to protest the lawsuit. Subscribe to Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the day’s biggest headlines. He called the attack on a business named after a beaver in Beavercreek “a little spiteful.” License plates from three states were visible in the parking lot. Buc-ee’s has defended the lawsuit as protection of its valuable trademark. In a statement on its website, the company said it first learned about Beaver’s Mini Mart when its owner, Vic Boparai, filed a business name registration on Oct. 23. The small business, incorporated in 2017, changed its name from Hanes Road Carryout to Beaver’s Mini Mart in January 2025, according to paperwork. That was about four months after Buc-ee’s broke ground near Dayton. Acknowledging a conflict, the company said it repeatedly tried to contact Boparai without success, so it was forced to file a lawsuit. Boparai has since issued its own statement, although without addressing the company’s concerns or the merits of the lawsuit. “We want to thank the community and the entire country for supporting us and our business,” he said. “We are overwhelmed by your support of our business and other small businesses everywhere.” The Associated Press has not been able to reach Boparai at Beaver’s Mini Mart or call the store. Beavercreek adopts beaver as part of city history The Beavercreek City Council responded to the conflict by passing a resolution on August 10 making the beaver a permanent and official part of its more than 200-year history. Bucky the Beaver, Beavercreek Local Schools mascot, visited the meeting before the unanimous vote. On social networks, images satirizing the fight abound. One showed Ohio State University’s football mascot, Brutus Buckeye, facing off against Buc-ee the beaver. Support has also taken other forms. One was a GoFundMe campaign aimed at ensuring that costs associated with the lawsuit don’t put Beaver’s Mini Mart out of business, as has happened to other establishments sued by Buc-ee’s. He had raised at least $69,000. The convenience store gave The Original Goodie Shop bakery in Upper Arlington permission to use its logo on an exclusive cookie, and $1 from each one sold went toward Beaver’s legal fees. Cake, Hope & Love, a Beavercreek bakery, also offers cookies adorned with buck-toothed beavers that encourage shopping local. Other Dayton-area businesses, including a Lego store and a root beer store, temporarily altered their logos to include beavers in a show of solidarity. Dozens of businesses in Beavercreek already incorporate the city’s name or the word beaver in their names. Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who attended and praised the grand opening of the Buc-ee’s store in the Dayton area in April, described the lawsuit as “absurd.” “It’s Beavercreek, for God’s sake,” the governor told reporters.
