It has been four decades since the San Diego Chicken, later the Chicken or the Famous Chicken transformed a sports mascot into a high-profile comedic entertainer. Heck, he became as popular as the Pillsbury Doughboy.
These days, mascots fill a variety of roles — as athletic performers during breaks in games, or sas community ambassadors, or as goofy sideshows to give fans a laugh.
The newest addition is Clark the Cub, the first mascot in the 112-year history of Chicago’s National League baseball franchise.
Clark, the Chicago Cubs’ first mascot, hugs children during his debut at Advocate Illinois Masonic’s Pediatric Developmental Center this week.
Just like the the lovable Cubbies, Clark, in all his cuddly cuteness, is the type of mascot the team can take to a children’s hospital or a kindergarten without startling the kids. That’s something the Milwaukee Brewers wouldn’t be as equipped to do with their seven-foot sausages.
The Cubs say Clark, introduced this week, will “interact in the community, engage with young fans, and be respectful of the game.”
Five favourite mascots
Former Expos mascot Youppie gives then-Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey a friendly tap after being hired as the hockey team’s mascot in 2005.
Youppi
A long-time favourite who is almost 35 years old, Youppi was born in an era of Muppet-like mascots, working for the Montreal Expos until the NL franchise moved to Washington in 2005.
He is one of two mascots on our list to get into a row with former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, who obviously had a problem with big, fuzzy-faced characters. Youppi became the first mascot to be thrown out of an MLB game after jumping noisily on the Dodgers dugout in a game in Montreal on Aug. 23, 1989, and drawing a complaint from Lasorda.
After the Expos relocated, free-agent Youppi was hired by the Montreal Canadiens, earning the rare distinction of being a two-sport mascot.
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The Phillie Phanatic
The Phanatic looks a bit like ALF, the fuzzy alien star of a 1980s sitcom, except that he is green. The Philadelphia Phillies created the mascot after witnessing the success of the San Diego Chicken.
The Phanatic drives an ATV and hassles opponents. He once got into a scrap with Lasorda, who chased him down during a game against the Dodgers in 1988.
The Toronto Raptors mascot uses a trampoline to do a dunk in a demonstration at the West Edmonton Mall in 2008.
The Raptor
The Toronto Raptors’ acrobatic mascot has been sidelined this season by a torn Achilles tendon, but he is lauded as the NBA’s best because of his athletic stunts. His “cousin” Stripes is replacing him this season.
Curiously, Portland Trail Blazers centre Robin Lopez told the Willamette Weekly recently that Raptor is the mascot he detests the most. “I wish we could go back to Toronto, because he gets my goat,” Lopez said. “I have a few choice words for that guy.”
Lopez last played in a game in Toronto last Nov. 17, when he fouled out and the Trail Blazers lost. So, it’s not clear whether Lopez’ beef is with the Raptor or Stripes. Or maybe he’s sore at both dinos.
Al the Almond and Wally the Walnut
These two are the mascots for the Modesto Nuts, a Class-A baseball team. The two nuts reportedly are making a positive impact, not just at the ballpark but for the entire community east of San Francisco. However, they are high in calories.
The Racing Sausages
Five 7-foot sausages — a bratwurst, a chorizo, a hotdog, an Italian and a Polish — take part in a race at the end of the sixth inning at Milwaukee Brewers games. Fans have been known to bet on the wiener of the race. Yes, the wurst is over now.
Five goofiest mascots
Steely McBeam
Steely came on board as the Pittsburgh Steelers mascot in 2007. He is a supposed steelworker with a five-o’clock shadow, a square jaw and thick eyebrows. Some people think he is modelled after former Steelers coach Bill Cowher. Steely wears a hard hat and carries a steel beam. Not particularly good looking.
Artie the Fighting Artichoke
Artie was created in a protest against the administration of Scottsdale Community College more than 40 years ago. Students voted in favour of the awkward name as part of their opposition to the school spending money to lure athletes instead of on educational facilities and scholarships.
Columbus Blue Jackets mascot Stinger cheers on the team during a game against Winnipeg on Dec. 16, 2013.
Stinger
“If Big Bird and Bart Simpson collided in the rink, the resulting character might just be Stinger,” the Columbus Blue Jackets website says. “Kids will love his hug-ability. Adults will take to his irrepressible irreverence. Stinger has something for everyone!” Not for us.
Sammy the Slug
Teams at the University of California at Santa Cruz bear the nickname Banana Slugs and apparently the athletes are OK with being associated with a slimy, sticky creature.
I know you didn’t ask, but the banana slug can grow to a length of 20 centimetres, according to slugweb.com, and it almost became the official state mollusk of California in 1988 until the honour was vetoed by the governor.
The Mad Ant
There is nothing worse than a mad ant, especially one that is fire-engine red, 6-foot-1 and with a resemblance to the Devil. This creepy creature is the mascot for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA development league. It’s Twitter account says “ I am the most powerful mascot in the NBA D-League … I melt magnifying glasses and eat Anteaters for kicks.”
Honourable mentions
Good, bad and ugly: Fin the Whale, the Vancouver Canucks mascot who can emit steam from his blowhole. It is one of six NHL mascots — Sparky the Dragon (Islanders), Carlton the Bear (Toronto), Slapshot (Washington), Stinger (Columbus), and S.J. Sharkie (San Jose) are the others — who appear in a series of TV commercials for a bank’s debit card … The person dressed as a bear who danced on the St. Louis Cardinals dugout during the 2013 NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pity that Lasorda was still managing the Dodgers. Fans on Twitter called on the Dodgers to hire “Rally Bear” … Goldy Gopher of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus. The school had to apologize a few years ago after Goldy poked fun at a Penn State football player who was praying before a game … Chirpy the Cockerel of Tottenham Hotspur FC. The name pales in comparison with the fine “Hotspur” … The Swinging Friar of the San Diego Padres, although, frankly, it’s not a good look … The San Francisco Giants once had a mascot, or anti-mascot, the Crazy Crab, who, as a joke, intentionally riled the fans. They responded by throwing beer bottles at it … The Royal Military College Paladin, a helmeted and heavily armoured red and white knight, is the chivalrous mascot for the Kingston school … Rowdy the Rustler, a cowboy with an Elvis-style sneer, and a big green hat, is the athletic-looking mascot for Lakeland College in Vermilion and Lloydminster, Alta.