The mascot for the Philadelphia Major League Baseball (MLB) is a bird named Phillie Phanatic. Much like the mascot for the National Hockey League (NHL) Flyers, Gritty, his existence is questionable. His history goes back to 1976, when Dave Raymond first wore the mystery animal costume.
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The job of a mascot is to connect to the crowd and energize fans during baseball games. While doing his job, the Phillie Phanatic was meeting new fans in the stands. When introduced to an adorable puppy, the puppy decided that the mascot looked good enough to eat.
Fans saw their favorite mascot, but all the puppy saw was a huge chew toy. In fairness, the 6-foot-6-inch tall mascot has bright green fur covering the expanse of his 90-inch waist. The costume was created by Harrison/Erickson of New York City. Bonnie Erickson was the creator of Muppets’ Miss Piggy, Statler, and Waldorf, and bears a resemblance to a life-size Muppet.
Wikipedia says it is a bird. According to his bio, the Phillie Phanatic originally hails from the Galapagos Islands. He is overweight, clumsy, and has a slight issue with body odor. The horn-looking protrusion from his face is supposedly a beak, which contains a curled-up tongue. Nobody ever names the specific species of bird the mascot is, so we may never know. The fans love him, and that is all that matters.
The curious puppy tried to stick its head inside the beak, perhaps to snag the elusive tongue? The meeting was adorable, with the puppy’s owner barely able to hold her overly excited and squiggly little charge.
You can follow the Phillie Phanatic and see more of his antics on his Instagram page.
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You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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