{"id":1618,"date":"2023-03-22T22:59:08","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T22:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gregmaxwell.net\/?p=1618"},"modified":"2025-08-21T19:48:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T19:48:18","slug":"mascot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregmaxwell.net\/index.php\/2023\/03\/22\/mascot\/","title":{"rendered":"Mascot?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Hello ?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve ever wondered what\u2019s going on inside Mr. Met\u2019s gigantic head, this reading list is for you. Here\u2019s how dancing chickens, slam-dunking gorillas, and wacky whatsits invaded the sidelines, plus tales of iconic (and occasionally infamous) sports mascots and the performers who bring them to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image by Tom Fowlks\/Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

La Mascotte [LISTEN]<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

99% Invisible<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furry, larger-than-life, foam-headed mascots may seem standard-issue for sports teams now, but this is only a relatively recent phenomenon in the history of professional sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mascot Whisperer<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Max RubinThe New York Times<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dave Raymond practically invented the modern sports mascot. And over four decades, he has built a career on helping pro teams bring them to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Monster in the Mirror<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Michael BaumannThe Ringer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers\u2019 sensation-causing mascot, is a weird and scary avatar for a weird and scary time. The 7-foot-tall orange monster didn\u2019t just put one city in touch with its identity: He is all things to all people. He is meme. He is messenger. He is message. And, in many respects, he is messianic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Aspiring Performers, The NBA Is The Best Place To Be A Mascot<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Josh PlanosFiveThirtyEight<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We talked to the people inside the plush, furry costumes that are symbols of North American sports teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is It? An Oral History of Izzy, the Mascot Marketing Snafu of Olympic Proportions<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Max BlauAtlanta Magazine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten companies proposed a mascot. One was chosen. The winner would live in Olympic infamy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Don\u2019t Touch His Head:\u2019 A Day in the Life of Mr. Met<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

James MontgomeryRolling Stone<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walk a mile in the size 16 shoes of NYC\u2019s hardest-working mascot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the Original Suns Gorilla Has Dedicated His Life to Helping Others<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gina MizellThe Athletic<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a Phoenix Suns Gorilla before the one who dunked. And he became one of the world\u2019s iconic sports mascots by happenstance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Googly Eyes, Sasquatch Suits and a Runaway Booger: Welcome to the Mascot Hall of Fame<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jake MalooleyESPN<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standing three floors high, it is the world’s only shrine to the immortals of the big-furry-costume realm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Cyril the Swan Became the UK\u2019s Most Notorious Mascot<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jeff MayshHowler<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginning in the late \u201990s, Swansea City\u2019s mascot was accused of all manner of fowl play, from inciting riots and head butting a referee to attacking other mascots and even a rival coach, all while saving the club\u2019s financial fortunes. Then the nine-foot-tall bird became the prime suspect in a serious assault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Secret Life of Live Mascots<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ryan McGeeESPN<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uga, Bevo and Rameses are all household names to many college football faithful. See what life is like off the field for these living symbols of school pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The San Diego Chicken Heads Into a Sunset<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pete CroattoThe New York Times<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ted Giannoulas has spent more than 40 years as the man behind arguably the most famous mascot in sports. But he staves off the future, one night at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benny the Bull Has Accompanied a Mayor to China, Topped a Forbes List, and Been Arrested<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Christopher BorrelliChicago Tribune<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dFirst of all, before I get too far into this, Benny the Bull, the longtime clown prince of the Chicago Bulls, was not available to comment for this story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gunnersaurus Explained: The Guy Who Dreamt Up Arsenal\u2019s Mascot<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jim WeeksVice<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal\u2019s dinosaur mascot is arguably the most famous in the Premier League, but his connection to the club makes no sense. We spoke to the guy who dreamt him up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sudden Death: The Film Where Van Damme Fought a Penguin to Death<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Matt EdwardsFilm Stories<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If nothing else, it would be pointless to deny that Jean-Claude Van Damme fighting a giant penguin mascot is a positive experience for all of us who get to watch it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eyeballs, Bagels, and a Gigantic Hunk of Wasabi<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Matthew J.X. MaladySlate<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the hilarious, treacherous, smelly world of minor league mascot races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An Explosive History of the T-Shirt Cannon<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jake RossenMental Floss<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The apparel arms race at sporting events began when the San Antonio Spurs mascot wanted a way to launch free stuff to the fans in the upper deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Original<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BONUS READ: A Look Inside Japan\u2019s Obsession With Bizarre Mascots<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

James DatorSB Nation<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the United States, mascots are designed to appeal to children and are typically associated with sports and consumer brands. This is not true in Japan, where almost every brand, prefecture, and local government is represented by a mascot, promoting everything from local produce to pachinko parlors and generating billions of dollars in the process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever wondered what\u2019s going on inside Mr. Met\u2019s gigantic head, this reading list is for you. Here\u2019s how […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/gregmaxwell.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/orbit.gif","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregmaxwell.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregmaxwell.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregmaxwell.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregmaxwell.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregmaxwell.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1618"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gregmaxwell.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1621,"href":"https:\/\/gregmaxwell.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1618\/revisions\/1621"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregmaxwell.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregmaxwell.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregmaxwell.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregmaxwell.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}