In September 2026, New Mexico State Parks introduced Ranger Rio, a new coyote mascot meant to encourage kids and families to explore the state’s 35 parks. Rio debuted around the New Mexico State Fair as part of a collaboration between State Parks, the New Mexico Tourism Department, and design firm Roving Bee.

It should have been a pretty harmless announcement. Instead, New Mexico got into an argument about whether its new state park mascot was AI-generated, why he looked like furry art, and why a cartoon coyote was staring at you like that.

Meet Ranger Rio

Rio is an anthropomorphic coyote dressed as a New Mexico State Park ranger, complete with boots, ranger hat, uniform, and a… confident expression. The design has a distinctly furry-art look, which people online noticed almost immediately. More specifically, Rio has strangely sultry eyes for a mascot whose job is supposed to be reminding children to put on sunscreen. Reddit discussions quickly filled with furry jokes, comments about his expression, and people asking why the state had made its coyote mascot look like he was flirting with them. But that wasn’t the main controversy.

Was Rio Made With AI?

A lot of people thought so.

Almost immediately after Rio appeared online, people started pointing out strange details in the artwork: inconsistent shoelaces, odd background geometry, unusual shading, and other little things commonly associated with AI-generated images. The accusations became a major part of the response to the mascot.

New Mexico State Parks credits Roving Bee for the original character design, and its official Rio page now labels the artwork an “Original Artist Rendering.” They also later posted images and videos showing the design process.

I’m no artist, but I have seen enough AI-generated images to spot something fishy, and Rio is certainly raising some red flags for me.

So I Made Horny the Toad

The thought of an AI furry wolf representing New Mexico’s state parks was too funny to let pass. I decided to “draw” my own unofficial New Mexico State Parks mascot: Horny the Toad.

If New Mexico was going to have a ridiculous cartoon animal representing its parks, I figured we should fully commit to it. Interestingly, people actually liked him. Whether the support was ironic or not, Horny ended up getting twice as many likes and comments as the introductory Rio post.

I Even Sent Him to State Parks

Eventually I decided to make it official, or at least try.

I submitted Horny the Toad to New Mexico State Parks with a simple proposal: don’t replace Rio. Make them friends.

Rio could remain the curious, sultry coyote ranger and Horny could be his giant sidekick. It seemed perfect but New Mexico State Parks never responded, so as of now, Horny the Toad remains completely unofficial.

Justice for Horny

Horny never got his official State Parks debut, but he is not disappearing completely. I will probably find some way to use him around ZiaBound, whether that ends up being in posts, graphics, games, or just as an occasional unofficial mascot. He is too great of an idea to waste.

Also, for the record, I am not a furry. I just thought this was funny.