Mascot Hall of Fame

The Mascot Hall of Fame, formally "The Mascot Hall of Fame Interactive Children's Museum", is a hall of fame for North American sports mascots. It was founded by David Raymond, who was the original Phillie Phanatic from 1978 to 1993. It was founded as an online-only hall, with an induction ceremony taking place each year in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, in September 2014, Raymond's mascot company signed a memorandum of understanding with the City of Whiting, Indiana, to develop a permanent Mascot Hall of Fame on the south shore of Lake Michigan.[1][2] The museum opened December 26, 2018.[3]

Mascot Hall of Fame
Established2005
Opened2018
LocationWhiting, Indiana
FounderDavid Raymond
Inductees25
(8 college; 17 professional)
Websitesfunfurallinwhiting.org
mascothalloffame.com

Each year (beginning in 2005), mascots are elected into the Mascot Hall of Fame by the voting membership and an executive committee made up of performers, sports executives, and other individuals intimate with the mascot community. The mascots go through a nomination process that ends with the Executive Committee selecting six finalist in each category to be placed on the ballot for consideration. There is a public online vote that contributes a percentage of the final tally. In 2006, the Hall added a separate class to honor college mascots.

The mission of the Mascot Hall of Fame is to honor mascot performers, performances, and programs that have positively affected their communities. The Mascot Hall of Fame has also partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs and holds an online auction contributing to that cause. The main bulk of the items up for auction are pieces of signed sports memorabilia donated by professional sports teams around the nation.

To be eligible for the Mascot Hall of Fame, a mascot must have existed for a minimum of 10 years. They must also impact both their sport and community, inspire their fans, and consistently give memorable and groundbreaking performances.

Inductees

Name Organization Location Description Sport Division Inducted
Phillie Phanatic Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia, PA Furry green creature Baseball MLB 2005
Suns Gorilla Phoenix Suns Phoenix, AZ Gorilla Basketball NBA 2005
The Famous Chicken San Diego Padres (unofficial) San Diego, CA Chicken Baseball MLB 2005
Aubie the Tiger Auburn University Auburn, AL Tiger Various sports NCAA 2006
Bucky Badger University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison, WI Badger Various sports NCAA 2006
Clutch Houston Rockets Houston, TX Bear Basketball NBA 2006
Jazz Bear Utah Jazz Salt Lake City, UT Bear Basketball NBA 2006
KC Wolf Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City, MO Wolf American football NFL 2006
YoUDee University of Delaware Newark, DE Blue Hen Chicken Various sports NCAA 2006
Big Red Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY Furry red blob Various sports NCAA 2007
Brutus Buckeye The Ohio State University Columbus, OH Buckeye nut Various sports NCAA 2007
The Coyote San Antonio Spurs San Antonio, TX Coyote Basketball NBA 2007
Lil' Red University of Nebraska–Lincoln Lincoln, NE Inflatable boy Various sports NCAA 2007
Mr. Met New York Mets Flushing, NY Humanoid with baseball head Baseball MLB 2007
Rocky Denver Nuggets Denver, CO Mountain Lion Basketball NBA 2008
Slider Cleveland Indians Cleveland, OH Furry purple creature Baseball MLB 2008
Smokey University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN Bluetick Coonhound Various sports NCAA 2008
Nittany Lion Pennsylvania State University State College, PA Mountain Lion Various sports NCAA 2019
Benny the Bull Chicago Bulls Chicago, IL Bull Basketball NBA 2019
Tommy Hawk Chicago Blackhawks Chicago, IL Hawk Hockey NHL 2019
Sluggerrr Kansas City Royals Kansas City, MO Lion Baseball MLB 2019
Blue Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis, IN Horse Football NFL 2020
Boomer Indiana Pacers Indianapolis, IN Cat Basketball NBA 2020
The Oriole Bird Baltimore Orioles Baltimore, MD Baltimore oriole Baseball MLB 2020
Youppi! Montreal Expos and Montreal Canadiens Montreal, QC Furry orange creature Baseball and Hockey MLB and NHL 2020

References

  1. "Whiting Set to OK Mascot Hall". Retrieved 2014-09-26.
  2. "'Wacky, brilliant' Mascot Hall of Fame coming to Whiting". Retrieved 2014-10-08.
  3. Potempa, Philip (December 26, 2018). "Mascot Hall of Fame Opens in Whiting". Post-Tribune. Retrieved April 6, 2019.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.