Meet Phil the Pill, director's cut

Phil the Pill fit the bill. The College of Pharmacy needed a mascot and Kelly’s Family Pharmacy needed a new home for their 6-foot tall, bow tie-sporting pill bottle with legs. It was a match made in heaven.

Donated by alumni Kelly ’95 and Kandi Hunt ’95, Phil the Pill was an instant hit when he first strode onto the Medical University of South Carolina campus in 2019.

A featured player in the College of Pharmacy trailer video and feature of “The Groundbreaking,” Phil the Pill had another role in the college’s recent Topping-Out Ceremony for its new facility. MUSC news outlet The Catalyst covered the ceremony for its Feb. 18 issue, which also included a sidebar “Meet… Phil the Pill.”

Room restrictions in the printed issue limited the Q-and-A to seven questions. Some of Phil the Pill’s fans have asked if it were possible to see the unabridged version of original 22-question survey.

The phully-philled phorm (phor the Phil phaithful):

1. Name: Phil the Pill
2. College/Years at MUSC: College of Pharmacy/debuted October 2019
3. How are you changing what’s possible at MUSC: I’m shaping the future by helping getting the word out about the MUSC College of Pharmacy, established in 1881 and going strong!
4. Family, pets and their names: A goldfish named Princess Diuretic and a tabby cat named Tablet.
5. A favorite fall memory: November 2021. World Champion Atlanta Braves.
6. Something that relaxes you during COVID: My personal masseuse. Did I mention that I was a movie star? Ever since “The Groundbreaking” broke, I’ve been living the dream. Check me out on our Youtube channel! 
7. Music currently playing in your player: Alchemy by Dire Straits. Live version, of course.
8. Best thing about COP students: They fill me with joy. And sometimes, themselves. A few of the chosen elite have actually “worn the bottle” at college events.
9. Hobby or activity you enjoy in your spare time: Medication meditation
10. What food is a must have in the fridge or pantry: As a giant pill bottle, I don’t actually eat. Or have a digestive system. So my pantry is filled with inedible, undigestible things. Exactly – fruitcakes.
11. Favorite winter Olympics sport: Curling. Those frantic sweepers remind me of pharmacists filling scrips.
12. Mascots who inspire you and why: Hmm… a sensitive question in the mascot community… Cougars and Tigers and Gamecocks, oh my! I think I’ll go with… the San Diego Chicken.
13. Favorite pharmacy instructor and why: It would be easier to choose my favorite star in the sky! Which, come to think of it, is Arcturus. But I will say my favorite graduate is Kelly Hunt ’95 -- the hero of my origin story!
14. Favorite place in the world: Aside from Dr. Hall’s office? Probably the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, site of the country’s first licensed pharmacy in 1823. It’s also an event site and my Labeling Ceremony was held there. Ah, good times…
15. Recommended TV or cable series to binge watch: The Amazing World of Gumball. Everything is sentient!
16. Favorite website: Oh, come on. www.pharmacy.musc.edu, of course!
17. The best thing about living in Charleston: The history! On weekends, I do reenactments as a mortar and pestle.
18. Plastic or glass? Seeing as me, my friends, and my family are all MADE of plastic...
19. Something you’ve done at work that you’re proud of: Leading the search for the ceremonial shovel
20. A milestone you’re looking forward to: The opening of the new pharmacy facility! This August – mark your calendars!
21. Greatest moment in your life: The first time I managed to remove a child-proof cap. YOU try that with giant puffy hands!
22. Favorite quote or words of advice: “Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity.” -  Hippocrates