Delco re:View Fall 2018 - 45

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Our "Walking Memes" ... A meme is an
idea, behavior, or style that spreads
person to person within a culture-often
with the aim of conveying a particular
phenomenon, theme, or meaning
represented by the meme.
Let Fandom Ring... While mascots are a part of tradition,
most often they do not make sense. In this Renaissance of
mascots, few are able to hold a candle to past mascots. Take
for instance the Philly Phanatic, who makes no sense at all
- and that is exactly why he is regarded as one of the best
mascots of all time. Fans like mascots; mascots show their
true colors; mascots offset the seriousness and tension that
often accompanies sports.

First seen: April 25, 1978. The Phillie Phanatic
(Origin of Name: Fanatical Philadelphia fans.)
The Phillie Phanatic is the official mascot of the Philadelphia
Phillies Major League Baseball team. He is a large, furry, green
bipedal flightless bird with an extendable tongue from the
Galápagos Islands. He performs various routines to entertain
fans during baseball games at Citizens Bank Park and makes
public relation and goodwill appearances for the Phillies. The
Phanatic is widely acknowledged as one of the best ballpark
mascots, and is arguably the most recognizable mascot in all of
North American sports.

Giles opted for the costume only which led to $2 million in
merchandise sales that went to Erickson and Harrison in the
first year of the Phanatic's 1978 debut. Five years later, Giles
paid $250,000 for the Phanatic's copyright, a move he would
describe in his auto-biography as "the worst decision of my
career." The duo of Erickson and Harrison were behind a
number of other successful mascots, and some unsuccessful
ones as well (the Sixers' defunct Big Shot is an example).
* The University of Delaware boasts an elite professional
mascot training program. It is one of the strongest traditions
in the country. The school has produced mascots for the
Houston Rockets, Baltimore Ravens, and Washington
Capitals and Nationals, in addition to two Swoops.
Dave Raymond, son of the longstanding head coach at
Delaware's football program, was the first to portray the Phillie
Phanatic. Raymond, now a branding consultant who runs
his own mascot business in Chester County, consulted on the
creation of the Philadelphia Flyer's mascot, Gritty, who debuted
late September, 2018; Phang, the Philadelphia Union's snakelike mascot who was unveiled in early September, 2018; and
Wingston of the Philadelphia Wings, the city's National Lacrosse
League expansion team owned by Comcast Spectacor, will make
his first game debut on December 15, 2018 at Wells Fargo.

A couple of colorful facts ...
* The Phillie Phanatic is widely considered to be the best
mascot in sports. But have you ever wondered how the team
came up with the bizarre, green fuzzball that transcends the
traditional "cougar," "knight," or other generic characters
seen in sports? The mastermind behind the Phanatic is
Bonnie Erickson, who is also responsible for a number of Jim
Henson's Muppets, most famously Miss Piggy.
Henson referred Erickson to the Phillies in the 1970s;
the team gave Erickson carte blanche, and she drew on her
experience developing toys for Henson to design a mascot
with product licensing in mind. Building on the notion that
a sports fanatic would need a megaphone, Erickson gave
the creature a long snout with a protruding tongue, as well
as a back-story that the Phanatic hailed from the Galapagos
Islands. The best part for Erickson? She, along with her
husband and business partner Wayde Harrison, offered
Phillies executive Bill Giles the choice between paying
$5,200 for both the Phanatic costume and the character's
copyright, or, purchasing just the costume alone for $3,900.

The Renaissance of Philly Mascots ...
August 21, 1996. Swoop is a common name for fierce, winged
mascots...The Philadelphia Eagles' mascot, Swoop, sports the
green #00 jersey of the 2018 Super Bowl LII Champion Team,
and represents the American bald eagle. Fly Eagles Fly ... Bald
eagles weigh up to 14 pounds with wingspans extending 6-7.5
feet wide. With those wings, they can fly up to 100 mph while
diving, a feat they use to catch fish and small game. Fictional
biography: Born in Eagles Forest, Neshaminy State Park, Swoop
was a bald eagle with poor eyesight and strength, but possessed a
"strong and true" heart. The bird gained a humanoid
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