Krewe of Tucks expands den, marking 58 years of potty humor in New Orleans

The Tucks parade began in 1969 as an alternative to respectable old-line Mardi Gras parading organizations. Way alternative. Founded by Phi Kappa Theta fraternity brothers at Loyola University, the informal parade rambled on its own Uptown route, with decorated pickup trucks and fishing boats towed on trailers. The procession was lit with railroad flares.

Now, with 2,500-2,600 coed members and 40-some multi-segment floats, Tucks is among the biggest of New Orleans’ Carnival parades. The krewe represents the irreverent side of the celebration, with bawdy, eternally adolescent humor that is an antidote to the sometimes-pretentious aspects of the big party.

On Sunday, the krewe unveiled a new 16,000-squre-foot addition to its 4400 Washington Ave. den. Dressed in a white admiral’s uniform t