They say that mascots are almost as important to a sport as the players themselves. A good mascot will represent their team and they can also come in various shapes and sizes. They can look like an object, an animal or a person. And some say they are able to bring good luck to a team. But so many mascots have graced sports fields over the years that it’s hard to keep up. So, here’s a quiz to guess the most peculiar sports mascots that have graced the field so far.
They say that mascots are almost as important to a sport as the players themselves. A good mascot will represent their team and they can also come in various shapes and sizes. They can look like an object, an animal or a person. And some say they are able to bring good luck to a team. But so many mascots have graced sports fields over the years that it’s hard to keep up. So, here’s a quiz to guess the most peculiar sports mascots that have graced the field so far.
Iceburgh is the official mascot of the Pittsburgh Penguins and he made his debut during the 1991-1992 NHL season. He also appeared in the Jean-Claude Van Damme film “Sudden Death” in 1995, but had his name changed to Icey.
WuShock is the official mascot of the Wichita State Shockers. Basically, he’s a black and yellow muscular bundle of wheat that has been representing the Shockers since 1948.
Mr. Redlegs is the official mascot of the Cincinnati Reds. He wears a Reds uniform and is referred to as “The Running Man” by the team. But most people simply recognize him for his larger-than-life head.
Sparky is the official mascot of the Arizona State Sun Devils. It was first seen in 1951. But before that, the mascot was actually a wise old owl.
Benny the Bull is the official mascot of the Chicago Bulls, but most people call him Benny. And unlike some other famous mascots, Benny has been doing this job since 1969.
Boltman is the mascot of the San Diego Chargers, but he's not technically official. The mascot is actually Dan Jauregui, a lifelong fan of the team. He claimed he had an oral agreement with the team to be the mascot. But despite the controversy, Chargers fans do consider him the official mascot.
The Suns Gorilla was the mascot of the Phoenix Suns. He first made his appearance as a mischievous gorilla in 1980 and is now considered to be one of the NBA’s most popular mascots.
Billy Buffalo is the official mascot of the Buffalo Bills. He’s 8-foot-tall, blue and wears twin Bs on his jersey, which represents the monogram of his team as well as his name. He became the team’s mascot back in 2000.
King Cake Baby has been the mascot of the New Orleans Pelicans since 2009. But in those days, the team was known as the New Orleans Hornets. The mascot’s design was inspired by the baby found in King Cakes, a New Orleans staple commonly served during Mardi Gras.
Raymond is the mascot for the Tampa Bay Rays. He’s a furry blue creature who is said to have been born in the Gulf of Mexico and has been dubbed a seadog. But fans recognize him for his backwards baseball cap and Rays jersey.
Sir Saint is the official mascot of the New Orleans Saints. But he shares the spotlight of the team's original mascot with Gumbo the Dog. He went on hiatus for a couple of years but was later brought back by the team.
He’s called Wally the Green Monster and he’s the mascot of the Boston Red Sox. He is named after a 37-foot 2-inch wall in left field at Fenway Park dubbed the Green Monster. Unfortunately, because he was so adorable, older fans took a bit longer to warm up to this mascot.
Big Al is the official mascot of the Alabama Crimson Tide. He is an elephant, which is an animal that has been associated with the state of Alabama since 1930 when he first assembled his football team.
This mascot is called Gritty and he totally represents the Philadelphia Flyers. He is 7-foot tall, furry orange and has adorable googly eyes. On occasion, he has been compared to the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team mascot, Phillie Phanatic.
Harvey the Hound is the official mascot of the Calgary Flames, a team in the National Hockey League. He was originally introduced in 1983 and was actually the first mascot introduced in the NHL.
The mascot is called KC Wolf and he is the official mascot of the Kansas City Chiefs. He was originally introduced in 1989 and succeeded the less socially acceptable mascot Warpaint, a horse ridden by a guy wearing an Indian chief headdress.
Brutus is the official mascot of the Ohio State Buckeyes. He first appeared in 1965 and has undergone a couple of design changes over the years. But one thing that hasn’t changed is his sportsmanship.
This hockey team’s mascot is called Youppi. He was the mascot for the Montreal Expos but later became the official mascot for the Montreal Canadiens. And his jersey number is an exclamation point.
Albert is the official mascot of the Florida Gators. He also has a female mascot counterpart named Alberta Gator. Both he and Alberta represent the American alligator, which are pretty common in Florida.
He’s known as Mr. Met and is essentially a guy with a large baseball for a head. Over the years, he has appeared in ESPN commercials and has even been inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame.
Swoop is the official mascot of the Philadelphia Eagles. So naturally, he’s an eagle dressed in a sports jersey that represents his team and is said to have a fun loving personality.
Jaxson De Ville is a yellow jaguar with blue patches. He’s the mascot of the Jacksonville Jaguars and has his name spelled Jaxson because the city of Jacksonville often gets shortened to Jax.
Hugo is the official mascot of the NBA team Charlotte Hornets. He was designed by Jim Henson’s daughter, Cheryl Henson. He was created in 1988, a year before Hurricane Hugo struck the Carolinas hard.
This mascot is called the Phillie Phanatic for the Major League Baseball team. He is a flightless bird with a long tongue that retracts and he is originally from the Galapagos Islands, according to the team’s official biography of the character.
Slider is the official mascot of the Cleveland Indians. The fuchsia-colored creature is big and furry and has yellow eyebrows and a yellow nose. He made his debut in 1990 and his design was inspired by another mascot called the Phillie Phanatic.
Miles is the mascot of the Denver Broncos. He made his debut in 1999, back when the Broncos won the Super Bowl. He is also often seen sporting a jersey with double zeroes on the front.
Hip Hop is the official mascot of the Philadelphia 76ers. He also happens to be a rabbit who performs all types of acrobatic routines like doing slam dunks from a trampoline or even over a person.
Hairy Dawg is the official mascot of the Georgia Bulldogs. This bulldog made his debut during the 1981 Sugar Bowl and has represented his team proudly ever since at football games and other athletic events.
The Clemson Tiger is the mascot of the Clemson University basketball team. Essentially, he’s an orange tiger with black stripes and he wears a jersey with the number one in the middle.
Raider Red is the mascot of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. However, the team has an official mascot known as The Masked Rider. But in the event that he is not allowed at a specific event, Raider Red will take the lead and represent the team instead.
Rampage is the official mascot of the Los Angeles Rams. This horned ram has worn his team’s jersey proudly since he was introduced into the world of the National Football League in 2010.
Dinger is the official mascot of the Colorado Rockies. He officially debuted in 1994 at Mile High Stadium and is a purple triceratops with dots on his head, which made him a huge hit with kids.
Steely McBeam is the official mascot of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is best identified as a rugged muscular guy with bushy brows and a hard hat who's carrying a fake support beam over his shoulder.
Sammy The Banana Slug is the official mascot of UC Santa Cruz and has appeared in team related functions, sports events, and on campus. In 2011, Sammy celebrated 25 years as the official mascot.
The Fighting Okra is the mascot of Delta State University. Although the mascot was created in the 1980s, it wasn’t until the 1990s that university students voted for The Fighting Okra to be the school’s unofficial mascot.
Chief Osceola is the official mascot of the Florida State Seminoles. He is one of two mascots. The other is known as Renegade. But Osceola represents the real-life Seminole leader of the same name.
Stanford Tree is the mascot of the Stanford Cardinals and he resembles a Christmas tree with eyes. And yet, while he has been seen since 1975, Standford University has no official mascot.
Sir Purr is the official mascot of the Carolina Panthers. Although some might mistake him for a kitty cat, he is actually a panther who wears a football jersey with the number 00 on the back and a big paw on the front.
Captain Fear is the official mascot of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since 2000, the thick brow, blue-eyed Caribbean pirate has proudly represented his team. In some instances, he has been seen wielding a fake sword.
Pat Patriot is the official mascot of the New England Patriots. Although he wears a Jersey in the field with the number 1, he is often depicted as a soldier from the American Revolution on the logo.
Clark is the official mascot of the Chicago Cubs, but it wasn’t official until 2014 when the team made it legit. Obviously, baby bears are called cubs, hence why they chose Clark as a mascot.
Bernie Brewer is the official mascot of the Milwaukee Brewers. The happy, big-mustached man became the team’s mascot in 1973. That same year, a beer-barreled chalet was built inside the stadium so he could lead the crowd of fans in cheering.
Billy the Marlin is the official mascot of the Miami Marlins. He’s 8-foot-tall, 250 pounds, and has a reputation for being a total prankster and all-around good-natured clown.
Demon Deacon is the official mascot of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. After a devilish victory over the Trinity Blue Devils in the 1920s, the school’s newspaper gave the football team the name Demon Deacons, which later became the team’s mascot.
Sebastian is the official mascot of the Miami Hurricanes. The white, no nonsense ibis wears his team’s football jersey proudly despite having the number zero. The ibis has the ability to detect danger and is the last wildlife to take shelter before a hurricane hits and the first one to come out once the storm passes.
Blue Devil is the official mascot of the Duke Blue Devils. Back in the day, the student newspaper, Trinity Chronicle, launched a campaign to come up with a new mascot for the team. One of the potentials was the Blue Devil, but it was initially criticized as anti-religious. Then, it became clear that the name was based on a French military unit named “les diables bleus.” So eventually, Blue Devil became the mascot.
Billiken is the official mascot of the St. Louis University Billikens. In certain parts of the world, a Billiken is a sign of good luck. For example, in Osaka, Japan, visitors rub the feet of the Billiken statue that is in Tsutenkaku Tower.
Super Frog is the official mascot of the TCU Horned Frog. But his original name was Addy the All-American Frog. Then in 1979, the team decided to rename him Super Frog.
His name is Stuff and he’s the official mascot of the Orlando Magic. His name is a play on the basketball slang word “stuff,” but the name is also based off of the song, “Puff, the Magic Dragon.”