Brief History: From art
to reality
by Kris Burns & Traci
Weinstein
Before
mascots were dancing on fields and good-naturedly heckling
sports officials and players, they were donned upon
numerous cave walls and carved on the tops of totem
poles. Although they were not called by their current
name, they still served the same purpose as the modern
day mascot. Mascots are described as a person, animal
or object that is believed to bring luck to those that
worship it. This belief is what brought early man to
carve and paint these symbols on their walls and totem
poles. It was thought that when they did this it would
magically transfer some of the animal/objects power
to the people. These “mascots” were most
worshiped at times of harvest or widespread sickness.
People believed so much in these beings that they would
even dress in the likeness of them - thus, it was the
early beginnings of mascotting.
It
was not until the late 1800’s that the first
mascots started to appear on high school fields and
college campuses. Soon every sports team was wearing
their symbol embroidered on their uniform. Also, instead
of large puppet mascots, real wild and domesticated
animals were used as mascots. However, this way of
mascotting was soon abandoned due to the high costs
of taking care of the animals and it sometimes got
a little bit too messy!
Mascotting
nowadays is seen more of as an art or talent possessed
by people who take pride in their unique trait. Undoubtedly,
these people and their mascot counter parts have earned
a significant place in, not only their high school
and colleges’ history, but in the hearts of the
fans as well.
The ‘key’ to mascotting: Do you
have it?
What
does it take to finally become a mascot? A phone call?
A try-out? It is actually a bit more complicated than
that. Perhaps it is because this important aspect to
becoming a mascot cannot be rehearsed on a stage or
learned in a classroom. It is something that is developed
naturally, maybe that is why this career is so unique.
The key to becoming a mascot is ‘character’.
Character is the sum of a mascot’s personality,
because once in costume, it is merely not enough to
act a character but to become them. The person in costume
no longer exists as an individual, but as their character. Of
all the components of character, personality is perhaps
the most crucial. The character of a mascot is reflected
through the personality; both behaviorally and physically.
For instance, if a person is dressed as a lion for
their mascot, they will none the less reflect some
of the natural characteristics of a lion. However,
mascots must also remember that their main market is
towards children, so they have to maintain an air of
friendliness and not too much aggression. This way
children and other people will be more likely to approach
them. Because even though a mascot has the power to
make or break a crowd’s enthusiasm, the crowd
can just as easily break them.
Cues to ascertain a mascot’s personality: What works and
what doesn’t
The
name of a mascot is a very important element for developing
character. The name allows the fans to determine the
nature and
even determine the gender of a mascot. For example, Ray the Rhinoceros
or Kris the Kangaroo. It is evident by their names that both
mascots would be male and that they’re both wild animals.
Ray the Rhinoceros would be big and strong and would represent
power and force. On the other hand Kris the Kangaroo would be
bouncy and quick and would symbolize agility and stamina. So,
much can be said by the name of a mascot - thus, choosing one
is just as important.
Behavior
also helps to determine the character of a mascot.
For instance, the way a person walks, struts, shuffles
or charges in their costume, depicts a mascots’ energy,
enthusiasm and even approachability.
The
way a mascot is dressed helps to define its’ personality.
The same as in life, the clothes someone wears says
much about a person. The same goes for a mascot. Again
it helps to determine the gender and attitude of a
mascot. For instance, does a mascot brandish a sword
or wear a tutu?
The
final aspect of defining a mascots personality traits,
does not
show in appearance or in attitude but in consistency.
The more a
mascot gets to know a frequent fan or the type of crowd, and
vice versa, the fans and the mascots themselves start to cherish
and expect certain behaviors and idiosyncrasies. This behavior
gives the fans assurance and reminds them of who the mascot is
and what he/she stands for.
Day and life of a professional sports team mascot
To
find out the life of a mascot we contacted mascots
from all fields of team sports. The mascots that
we spoke to are the ‘T.C. Bear’ - Minnesota
Twins American Baseball League, ‘Jimmy’ -
San Jose Professional Soccer League, ‘Howler’ -
Colorado Avalanche National Hockey League, ‘Bobcat’ -
University of Central Florida, ‘Blitz’ -
Seattle Seahawks National Football League, ‘B.J.
Birdy’- (ex-mascot) Toronto Blue Jays American
Baseball League, and ‘Spot the Fire Dog’ -
Portland National Women’s Basketball League and ‘The
Raptor’ - Toronto Raptors National Basketball
League.
With
the questions we asked there is a lot that we learned
about. We started with how each person got into the
mascotting business. It seemed that each mascot got
started for different reasons, but all started in school
either College or University or High school. For
example, ‘Jimmy’ from San Jose became a
mascot because he liked to perform in costumes and
liked the thought of assuming a different identity, ‘Blitz’,
on the other hand, had a sister as a cheerleader and
saw the mascot having fun during the games and thought
that it would be fun. Blitz’ tried out
the next semester and got the (volunteer) job. ‘Bobcat’ got
started by performing in the parades at Walt Disney,
then auditioned to become the mascot for the University
of Central Florida.
We
asked about the training each mascot went through,
where and how long did it last. The training that each
mascot got varied. ‘Blitz’ went to weekend
college cheerleading camp that was held at University
of Washington called UCA (Universal Cheerleading Association). ‘Bobcat’ was
trained in parade interaction by Walt Disney World.
B.J. Birdy trained at Ontario Place. ‘Spot the
Fire Dog’ trained in theatre, and took gymnastics,
rollerblading, juggling and basketball classes. ‘Jimmy’ and ‘T.C.
Bear’ training was just working on the job.
So
what is it really like being a mascot? We wanted
to know the good and bad aspects of being a mascot.
Both seemed pretty consistent throughout the 8 mascots
we spoke to. The main good reasons was to make people
smile, and laugh whether with or at the mascot. Also,
as ‘Blitz’ says “I get paid to jump
around and act like a fool”. Some of the extra
perks of being a mascot is traveling, for example,
traveling with the team to out-of-city games, Mascot
Olympics in Orlando, Florida or the Mascot Convention
in Philadelphia, etc.
The
bad aspects of the life of a mascot is also very
consistent
throughout. One main problem is the heat, sweat and
smell of working in the costume. ‘B.J. Birdy’ installed a
battery operated fan in the head of the costume to try to keep
the inside cool, but the noise of the fan made it difficult to
hear. Next he tried a cooling suit (which is said to be used
by the air force pilots in the Gulf War). The suit was a long
sleeved shirt with tubing through it. On the hip was a battery
operated pump that added to the weight of the costume and it
inhibited ‘B.J. Birdy’ from doing some tricks. The
water stayed cool for about 20 minutes, then warmed as the body
temperature increased with the exercise. Basically the best way
to keep cool was to take a lot of breaks and to replenish with
fluids and to have your costume made with plenty of ventilation
and made out of the lightest material possible.
The
second main problem is the middle school kids harassing
the mascots, by hitting, kicking, or just trying to
hurt or ‘piss-off’ the mascot.
The
costume is very interesting piece of the life of the
mascot. The fact is that they are not as heavy as one
would imagine. But, they are cumbersome, have a limited
air flow, and have impaired vision. ‘Blitz’ -
Seattle Seahawks National Football League’s costume
is about 10 pounds and consists of a spandex suit with
foam muscles built in and with a football uniform over
it. The head is constructed with fur with a rubber
beak covering a hockey helmet underneath. He states
that breathing is pretty difficult and it took some
time to get use to it. The heaviest of the mascots
costume seems to be ‘Jimmy’ - San Jose
Professional Soccer League at 25 - 30 pounds. The average
seems to be about 10-15 pounds dry. But, if the
costume got wet than add about 2 - 3 pounds more.
We
also wanted to know the communication. Difficult or
easy communicating to people without speaking. All
the mascots say that it is hard at first, but just
have to get use to it. ‘T.C. Bear’ - Minnesota
Twins mascot says, “That is what makes the position
fun and challenging”. ‘Howler’ -
Colorado Avalanche mascot says, “It forces you
to be creative and think”. ‘B.J. Birdy’-
(ex-mascot) Toronto Blue Jays says that he was the
only mascot that was allowed to speak to the public
freely.
There
is strict confidence about who the mascots are. The
mascots are allowed to tell their immediate family,
and some close friends, but that is about it. Another
reason for the secrecy is that the mascot ‘Bobcat’ -
University of Central Florida is a women and the mascot
character is a male. She says, “That it is just
easier if people don’t know”.
Are
there rules to being a mascot? ‘Bobcat’ -
University of Central Florida says, “The only
rule is that there are no rules. Anyone who claims
they’re a set of mascot codes is probably a very
very limited performer”. There are some things
that mascots should never do. One is to never remove
the mascot’s head in front of the public especially
children, always stay in character. Two never argue
with the officials, (‘B.J. Birdy’- (Ex-mascot)
Toronto Blue Jays got kicked out of a game for challenging
an umpire’s call). And three treat fans
with respect if you goof with them make sure you give
them a hug afterwards. Make sure everyone leaves with
a smile.
Including
the job of mascotting during the games, there are other
things the mascots have to do. ‘Bobcat’ -
University of Central Florida sets up set props for
other mascots, filming other mascots while doing their
acts. ‘Blitz’ - Seattle Seahawks National
Football League tours elementary schools in and out
of season. He also promotes and markets his character. ‘Jimmy’ from
San Jose also does outside appearances, participates
in give-aways and maintains the costume with washing
and repairs. Most of the mascots have to do appearance
at parades, charity event, kids birthday parties, etc.
Even
though working as mascots, these people have to deal
with a lot of problems like the heat and exhaustion
of working in a costumes or trying to outwit middle
school kids this is a job that they love and they become
these characters which make them so memorable and enjoyable
to watch perform.
