Much Wow, Many Answer

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Across
  1. 4. By medal count, best boy of WWII
  2. 8. Norwegian naval mascot got into the dunderhonung, now world’s strongest bear
  3. 9. One waiting a la Peggy Lee
  4. 10. Survived Kansas tornado only to hear of African downpour
  5. 12. All commissioners are barkers
  6. 15. Early aughts style icon came in clutch
  7. 16. See 11 Down
  8. 17. One of two in this puzzle to die en route to their home planet
Down
  1. 1. 12 Across AKA
  2. 2. Ivy League pretty boy, first in succession of 19
  3. 3. Problematic mascot wanted more than it offered in returns
  4. 5. Cultural symbol, non-fungible token mascot, and beloved companion born on November 5, 2005 in Sakura, Chiba prefecture. This puzzle’s dedicatee passed on May 24, 2024 and now joins all other puzzle answers in the great squirrel chase in the sky.
  5. 6. By medal count, best boy of WWI
  6. 7. See 17 Across
  7. 11. One of a father-son duo in a Seattle father-son-son trio
  8. 13. Silent film actor likely preferred ‘Alsatian’ over 'German' label
  9. 14. Canine in Woolf’s prosing.