Buc-ee’s said in court documents that Mickey Mart’s smiling moose logo closely resembles its own logo and could confuse consumers.
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Buc-ee’s is suing yet another convenience store, this time in Ohio, over a cheerful mascot that the Travel Stop giant claims is too similar to its own convenience store.
On February 18, Buc-ee’s filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio against Coles IP Holdings, LLC, which owns the Mickey Mart convenience store and gas station chain in Ohio. Buc-ee’s is suing for trademark infringement and unfair competition. Buc-ee’s is also seeking cancellation of Coles IP Holdings’ trademark registration, a process that began in August 2025, according to court documents.
Mickey Mart has about 42 stores in Ohio and has a logo featuring a smiling cartoon moose inside a red hexagon, according to its website. Buc-ee’s claims in court documents that the animal-like logo closely resembles its own logo: a toothy beaver wearing a red ball cap inside a bright yellow circle. Buc-ee’s said in court documents that both animals were facing to the right, showing large eyes and smiling faces.
Travel center says ownership name is too close to Buc-ee
In addition to the logo, Buc-ee’s alleges in court documents that Mickey Mart has transitioned its store, signage and online branding to “Mickey’s,” which is “very similar” to Buc-ee’s trademark.
“[Mickey Mart’s]unauthorized use of[Buc-ee’s]logo is likely to cause confusion among consumers,” Buc-ee said in court documents. “Consumers are likely to perceive a connection or connection regarding the origin, sponsorship, or affiliation of the parties’ products or services, even if none actually exists, given the similarities in the parties’ logos, trade channels, and consumer bases.”
Neither Buc-ee’s nor Mickey Mart were immediately available for comment about the lawsuit when contacted by USA TODAY on Feb. 25.
This isn’t the first time the Buc-ee’s have filed a lawsuit over their likeness.
Historically, Buc-ee’s has aggressively jumped on convenience stores that feature cheerful animal mascots, arguing that the similarities can cause confusion among consumers who think Buc-ee’s is associated with smaller, often local or regional chains. Here are some of the companies Buc-ee’s has sued over the years:
May 2025: Born as United in South Carolina, Owl & Anchor in Arizona, and Prometheus esoterica in Florida.
Unlike most lawsuits, which tend to involve convenience stores, Buc-ee’s sued three apparel brands in May 2025: South Carolina conservative apparel brand Born United, Arizona-based Owl & Anchor, and Florida-based queer apparel brand Prometheus Esoterica. As of February 25, three cases remain unresolved.
In court documents, Buc-ee’s claimed that Bourne United used the popular Beaver mascot, titled “Tac-Bucc,” who wears military uniform and carries a gun, in some of its designs. As of February 25th, Tac-Bucc products were not available on the Born United website.
In its lawsuit against Owl & Anchor, Buc-ee’s alleges similarities in the brand’s use of the beaver mascot in various product designs, including stickers. Owl & Anchor filed for bankruptcy in August 2025, according to court documents.
Finally, Buc-ee’s sued Orlando-based Prometheus Esoterica for similar trademark infringement, alleging that the store used the Beaver mascot on T-shirts and stickers without permission. As of February 25, the Buc-ee-centered design was not listed on Prometheus Esoterica’s website.
April 2025: Barc-ee’s in Marshfield, Missouri
In April 2025, Buc-ee’s filed a federal lawsuit against Barc-ee’s, a company that provides dog parks, coffee shops, grocery stores, and Western-themed miniature cities in southwest Missouri. Buc-ee’s claims that the Barc-ee logo, which features a smiling dog in a car, closely resembles Buc-ee’s image, and some Buc-ee products also feature the iconic beaver inside a car. Barc-ee’s was initially closed starting in March 2025, citing “unforeseen construction challenges.”
January 2025: Super Fuels of North Texas
Buc-ee’s filed a lawsuit against Super Fuels, a North Texas gas station, in January 2025, alleging that Super Fuels’ logo, which features a smiling brown dog wearing a red cape, closely resembles Buc-ee’s beaver. According to court documents, the case will conclude in April 2025, and as of February 25, Super Fuels was still investigating.
November 2024: Ducky in Kimberling City, Missouri
In November 2024, Buc-ee’s filed a federal lawsuit against Duckee’s, a liquor store also located in southwest Missouri. Buc-ee claims the Duckees uses a similar animal-centric logo on its products, featuring a cartoon duck wearing a green shirt, red bow tie and sunglasses inside a yellow circle. The lawsuit was dismissed by a Missouri judge in October 2025, according to court documents.
July 2023: Buk-II Super Mercado in Mexico
In July 2023, an image of a Mexican convenience store called Super Marcado in Buk-II went viral on social media as a humorous reproduction of Buc-ee’s iconic logo. Buc-ee threatened legal action, but nothing was done.
Since then, the Mexican convenience store has changed its name to Mini Super Buk-II’s and changed its logo to another rodent wearing a red shirt and holding a mullet. According to Google, the convenience store is currently closed.
2018: Chalk Canyon, Atascosa, Texas
In 2018, Buc-ee’s won a federal lawsuit against Chalk Canyon, a travel center in South Texas. According to the Houston Chronicle, a jury found that Chalk Canyon’s alligator logo closely resembles Buc-ee’s. As of February 25th, Chalk Canyon remains open, but with a different logo.
March 2013: Chicks in Texas
Rewinding the clock more than a decade, Buc-ee’s sues Texas-based convenience store Chicks In March 2013, They argued that the latter’s logo, which depicts two smiling chickens on a red, yellow and black background, was too similar to Buc-ee’s “iconic mark.”
Chicks’ lawyers moved to have the charges dismissed, but Chicks ultimately went out of business in 2014.
Greta Cross is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. Story ideas? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.
