‘Gus the Groundhog' Returning to State Lottery Commercials

It's not Groundhog Day for another three months- but Pennsylvania's second-most-famous groundhog is making a comeback.

Gus the Groundhog, the Pennsylvania Lottery mascot between 2004 and 2012, will return to the lottery's commercials this week, the Lottery announced. Gus' return, teased in recent days on the Lottery's social media channels, will come in holiday-themed ads later this week.

"Gus went into semi-retirement in early 2012 after a nearly eight-year run as our instant game ad mascot," Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko said in a press release.

"In the years since, we have continued to hear from players who told us how much they missed Gus and wanted him to return. Simply stated, Gus is a Pennsylvania Lottery institution."