116 Fun Facts About Mascot

The word 'mascot' comes from a French word meaning what?

Lucky charm is what French 'mascotte' meant; the word perhaps traces to Provençal 'masco', a witch, so a mascot was a piece of sorcery before it was a team's good-luck figure.

According to his official backstory, the Phillie Phanatic hails from which island group?

The Galapagos Islands are his official birthplace; the furry green creature debuted in 1978, built by a design firm led by a veteran of The Muppet Show's puppet workshop.

The San Diego Chicken, played by Ted Giannoulas, originated in 1974 as a promotion for what?

A radio station, KGB-FM, hired the 20-year-old Giannoulas in 1974 to hand out Easter eggs at the San Diego Zoo in the chicken suit; he soon took the act to ballgames.

When Shea Stadium opened in 1964, Mr. Met began appearing at games as what?

A costumed human Mr. Met greeted fans when Shea Stadium opened in 1964; the Mets dropped him in the 1970s, then brought him back in 1994 for a Nickelodeon promotion.

Gritty, the wild orange creature introduced in 2018, is the mascot of which team?

The Philadelphia Flyers unveiled Gritty in September 2018; in his official story, construction at the team's arena disturbed his secret hideout and drove him into the open.

Which cereal does Tony the Tiger promote?

Frosted Flakes launched with several animal mascots, among them Katy the Kangaroo; within a year the others were dropped and Tony had the box to himself.

Who provided Tony the Tiger's deep 'They're gr-r-reat!' voice for five decades?

Thurl Ravenscroft voiced Tony until his death in 2005 and also sang 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch'; he went uncredited on the 1966 special, so the song was often put down to Boris Karloff.

The Michelin Man, made of stacked tires, has what proper name?

Bibendum comes from 'Nunc est bibendum', Latin for 'now is the time to drink': on an 1898 poster the tire man toasts with a cup of nails and broken glass, because Michelin tires 'drink up' obstacles.

Why is the Michelin Man white?

Early tires were pale, not black: natural rubber is whitish, and makers only began adding carbon black around 1912, years after the Michelin Man first appeared on an 1898 poster.

Which federal agency has run the Smokey Bear campaign with the Ad Council since 1944?

The US Forest Service first borrowed Disney's Bambi for a 1944 fire-safety poster; the loan lasted only a year, so the agency and the Ad Council introduced a bear of their own.

A real bear cub became the living Smokey Bear in 1950 after surviving a wildfire in which southwestern state?

New Mexico's Capitan Gap fire of 1950 burned the cub's paws as he clung to a charred tree; nursed back to health, he was sent to the National Zoo in Washington, where he lived until 1976.

Ronald McDonald lives in a fictional world called what?

McDonaldland, created for 1971 commercials, was home to Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar and Grimace; Sid and Marty Krofft sued successfully, claiming it copied their H.R. Pufnstuf.

Chester, the sunglasses-wearing big cat mascot introduced in 1986, fronts which snack brand?

Cheetos swapped a mouse for a cat: its first mascot, the suit-wearing Cheetos Mouse of the 1970s, was phased out years before Chester Cheetah arrived in 1986.

The Energizer Bunny was created as a parody of which rival battery mascot?

The Duracell rabbit had drummed in battery ads since 1973; Energizer's pink bunny began as a spoof of those commercials, and a 1992 deal between the firms gave Energizer the bunny in the United States and sent Duracell's abroad.

The Kool-Aid Man is famous for entering a scene by doing what?

Smashing through walls became his entrance in 1970s TV ads, capped with 'Oh, yeah!'; he began in 1954 as the Pitcher Man, drawn by an ad artist who had watched his son trace smiley faces on a frosty window.

The Pillsbury Doughboy, whose real name is Poppin' Fresh, reacts how when his belly is poked?

He giggles happily, in a voice first supplied by Paul Frees; Rudy Perz of the Leo Burnett ad agency dreamed him up at his own kitchen table in 1965.

The Jolly Green Giant sells what kind of products?

Canned & frozen vegetables carry the giant because of a pea: the company could not trademark 'Green Giant' as the name of its unusually large variety, so its lawyer suggested inventing a giant for the label.

Morris the Cat, 'the world's most finicky cat', advertises which brand of cat food?

9Lives found its star in 1968, when animal handler Bob Martwick adopted an orange tabby from an Illinois shelter; the cat became the 'finicky' Morris, and lookalikes have played him since.

Geoffrey the Giraffe was the mascot of which toy store chain?

Toys R Us put Geoffrey himself up for sale when it shut its US stores in 2018: the giraffe was listed among the brand assets to be auctioned to pay the chain's creditors.

Uga, a white English bulldog, is the live mascot of which university?

Georgia's Uga dynasty began in 1956 with a bulldog given to law student Sonny Seiler as a wedding present; his family has owned every Uga since, and past Ugas lie in marble vaults at Sanford Stadium.

Bevo, a live steer, is the mascot of which university?

Texas got its first Bevo in 1916, when alumnus Stephen Pinckney collected money from fellow graduates to buy a steer in the Panhandle and send it to Austin.

Handsome Dan, one of the first live college mascots, is a bulldog representing which university?

Yale student Andrew Graves bought the first Handsome Dan from a New Haven blacksmith in 1889, and the bulldog was soon following him to sporting events as a mascot.

Traveler, a white horse ridden at football games in Los Angeles, is the mascot of which university?

USC introduced Traveler at its 1961 home opener, dressing rider Richard Saukko in the outfit Charlton Heston had worn in Ben-Hur; it proved too heavy, so Saukko made his own leather version.

Brutus Buckeye, the mascot of Ohio State, is an anthropomorphic what?

Nut it is: a buckeye is the glossy brown seed of Ohio's state tree. Students created Brutus in the 1960s after the other idea, a live buck deer, was rejected as impossible to bring into the stadium.

The first official Olympic mascot, a rainbow-coloured dachshund named Waldi, appeared at which Games?

Munich 1972 introduced Waldi, a dachshund modelled on a real dog by Otl Aicher's design team; the marathon course was even laid out to trace the mascot's outline through the city.

The World Cup mascot tradition began with 'World Cup Willie' at which tournament?

England 1966 introduced World Cup Willie, the first World Cup mascot: a lion in a Union Jack shirt that illustrator Reg Hoye modelled on his 12-year-old son, Leo.

Why was KFC's Harland Sanders called 'Colonel'?

A state honour: Kentucky's governor made Sanders an honorary Kentucky Colonel in the 1930s, when he was still feeding travellers beside his roadside gas pumps.

Bonnie Erickson, who designed the Phillie Phanatic, had earlier created which Muppet for Jim Henson?

Miss Piggy was Erickson's creation for The Muppet Show, along with the balcony hecklers Statler and Waldorf; she then set up the design firm that built the Phanatic and Montreal's Youppi!.

Which future TV weatherman played the first Ronald McDonald in 1963?

Willard Scott had played Bozo the Clown on Washington TV; when that show ended he helped the local McDonald's operator invent a clown of its own, wearing a paper cup for a nose.

Before Sourdough Sam, the 49ers' first mascot in the 1950s and 60s was what?

A mule named Clementine, after the folk song about a forty-niner's daughter, patrolled the 49ers' sideline in a maroon saddle blanket during the 1950s and 60s.

The word 'mascot' was popularised by an 1880 French work in which art form?

An opera, Edmond Audran's comic 'La mascotte', put the word on the Paris stage, and English borrowed it almost at once: 'mascot' is first recorded in 1881, the year after the premiere.

The Michelin Man's Latin slogan, meaning 'now is the time to drink', comes from an ode by whom?

Horace opens Ode 1.37 with the call 'now is the time to drink', celebrating Cleopatra's defeat; Michelin borrowed the Latin line in 1898 for a poster of its tyre man raising a glass of nails.

Smokey Bear's most famous slogan is which of these?

Only YOU can prevent forest fires dates from 1947; in 2001 the last words became 'wildfires', after a run of blazes in grasslands and other places that are not forest.

Mr. Met first appeared in 1963 in what form?

A cartoon on game programs, yearbooks and scorecards introduced the baseball-headed figure in 1963, when the Mets still played at the Polo Grounds; the team later shelved him for almost 20 years.

The Phoenix Suns' Gorilla first came to a 1980 game to deliver what?

Singing telegram: Henry Rojas wore the gorilla suit as a messenger, and as he left the Suns game security suggested he dance under the basket; fans loved it, and he kept coming back until the team took him on.

The Energizer Bunny wears sunglasses and what footwear?

Striped flip-flops finish the pink bunny's beach look; his long-running gag was to march, drumming, through spoof commercials for made-up products.

Which food mascot began as a schoolboy's entry in a company drawing contest?

Mr. Peanut started as a 1916 sketch by schoolboy Antonio Gentile, entered in a Planters contest; a commercial artist then added the top hat and monocle that turned the peanut into a dandy.

The Chicago Bears' mascot Staley Da Bear takes his first name from whom?

The franchise's founder was A. E. Staley, whose starch company fielded the Decatur Staleys in 1919 before George Halas moved them to Chicago; the 'Da Bear' part nods to the Superfans sketches on Saturday Night Live.

Kansas City Chiefs mascot K.C. Wolf was introduced in 1989 as the successor to what?

A horse named Warpaint, ridden by a man in a full headdress, had been the mascot since the 1960s; the wolf is named for the 'Wolfpack' of rowdy fans in Municipal Stadium's temporary bleachers.

Which university's unofficial mascot is a dancing tree that belongs to its marching band?

Stanford dropped its 'Indians' name in 1972 and has had no official mascot since, so the band's Tree, a nod to the redwood El Palo Alto on the university seal, fills the gap.

Which two mascot brothers did the Ravens retire after 2008, leaving a single mascot?

Edgar and Allan, with their brother Poe, spelled out the Baltimore writer whose poem named the team; retired after 2008, the pair were called back in 2022 when Poe was hurt in a halftime stunt.

Youppi!, the Montreal Expos' mascot until 2004, was then adopted by a club in which sport?

Ice hockey's Montreal Canadiens 'adopted' Youppi! in September 2005; the mascot had been out of work for a year, ever since the Expos moved to Washington.

Which mascot's disruptive sideline behavior in 1998 led the NFL to change its mascot rules?

Jaxson de Ville's sideline antics led the NFL to change its mascot rules in 1998; after a rival team's president complained in 2007, the Jaguars' cat spent much of one Sunday in a makeshift cage.

Which Carolina Panthers mascot pounced on a live punt in 1996, causing a touchback?

Sir Purr pounced on a punt that was still live, and officials ruled a touchback; the big cat made headlines again in 2020 when receiver Robby Anderson mistook him for a bear.

What does the 'Mc' in Steelers mascot Steely McBeam salute?

The owners' Irish roots: the fan who won the 2007 naming contest said the 'Mc' was for the Rooney family, while 'Beam' covered both Pittsburgh's steel beams and Jim Beam, her husband's favourite drink.

Washington Commanders mascot Major Tuddy is a pig in tribute to what?

The 1980s offensive line, nicknamed the Hogs, anchored three Super Bowl-winning Washington teams; 'Tuddy' is slang for a touchdown, and the pig debuted on 1 January 2023.

Which animal, also Tennessee's official wild animal, is the Titans' mascot?

A raccoon has been Tennessee's official wild animal since 1971; T-Rac arrived in August 1999, the Titans' first season under that name, and is known for zip-lining down from the top of the stadium.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers mascot Captain Fear shares his stadium with what famous end-zone prop?

A pirate ship fills the north end zone of the Buccaneers' stadium and sounds its cannons after every home score; the team ordered it from an Orlando theme-park builder just five months before the 1998 opening.

Blue, a horse mascot introduced in 2006, works the sidelines for which NFL team?

The Indianapolis Colts introduced Blue in 2006, retiring a pair of inflatable football players known only as '#1' and '#2'; he entered the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2020.

Thunder, the Denver Broncos' live horse mascot who gallops the field after every score, is what breed?

Arabian horses have played Thunder since 1993, all grays whose coats whitened with age; the first was a stallion and former show horse, and the mascot has been flown on planes and ridden in elevators.

Gumbo, the dog mascot of New Orleans's NFL team, is what breed?

Saint Bernard suited the Saints, in a city that borders St. Bernard Parish; the Louisiana Restaurant Association gave the team a real one, named after the state's signature stew.

Toro, a bull mascot, works the sidelines for which NFL team?

The Houston Texans unveiled Toro in April 2001, more than a year before the expansion team's first game; with no players signed yet, the bull was the face of the new club.

Which NFL team's mascot does Jim Carrey's Ace Ventura fight at the end of his 1994 film?

The Philadelphia Eagles' mascot gets it: at the Super Bowl that closes the film, the man in the eagle suit shoos away a rare pigeon, and Ace sets about him.

The Pat Patriot logo was replaced as the Patriots' primary emblem in 1993 by a design nicknamed what?

Flying Elvis, a streamlined face in a tricorne hat, replaced Pat in 1993; back in 1979 fans had voted overwhelmingly to keep the old logo, which a newspaper cartoonist drew in about 45 minutes.

Which TV host's children's show formally introduced the Phillie Phanatic to the public in 1978?

Captain Noah and His Magical Ark, a local children's show, unveiled the Phanatic beside catcher Tim McCarver two days before the creature's first ballpark appearance.

Which two characters in 18th-century dress did the Phanatic replace as his team's mascots?

Philadelphia Phil and Phillis, siblings dressed to evoke the spirit of 1776, sat in the team logo from 1976 to 1978; they returned beside their furry successor for the Vet's final season in 2003.

Which Phanatic performer founded the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2005?

David Raymond was a front-office intern when the Phillies asked him to wear the suit in 1978; he stayed inside it until 1993, then founded a hall of fame whose first class included the Phanatic.

Whose owners sued the San Diego Chicken in the late 1990s over a slapstick dance-contest sketch?

Barney the dinosaur's owners, Lyons Partnership, lost the case; the court held that the Chicken's pummelling of a purple dinosaur lookalike was protected parody, and the ruling was upheld on appeal in 1999.

What was the San Diego Chicken's court-cleared 1979 comeback called?

The Grand Hatching, on 29 June 1979, had Ted Giannoulas, the man inside the suit, emerge from a giant egg on the field after a court let him go on performing as a chicken.

Which university's duck mascot is modelled on Donald Duck under a 1940s handshake deal with Walt Disney?

Oregon's athletic director Leo Harris sealed the deal with Walt Disney by handshake; when Disney's lawyers asked for the contract in the 1970s, the school's only proof was a photo of Disney in an Oregon jacket.

What did Mr. Met do to a fan in May 2017, caught on video at a Mets loss?

Gave him the finger is the usual description, though Mr. Met has only four digits on each hand; it came on the night of a 7-1 loss to the Brewers, and the Mets apologised and said the employee would not play the mascot again.

Which fruit, wearing the host nation's kit, was the mascot of the 1982 World Cup in Spain?

An orange, a fruit Spain is known for growing: he was called Naranjito, 'little orange' in Spanish, and went on to star in his own animated TV series about football.

Clark, introduced in 2014 as the club's first official mascot in modern times, represents which MLB team?

The Chicago Cubs named Clark for the corner of Clark and Addison, where Wrigley Field stands, and gave him a family tree: his 'great-grandbear' Joa was the live cub the team kept as a mascot in 1916.

Police once tackled Miami mascot Sebastian the Ibis at Florida State, fearing he was about to do what?

Douse a flaming spear: he turned up in a fireman's helmet with an extinguisher as Florida State's Chief Osceola prepared his burning spear, so officers pinned him and held him until the ritual was over.

Which animal serves as the live mascot of Army's West Point sports teams?

The mule was picked by a supply-depot officer who wanted an answer to Navy's goat; mules were the obvious choice, having hauled the Army's gear for generations.

What is the Japanese term for the mascots created by municipalities and businesses?

Yuru-chara, short for 'yurui (loose) mascot character', promote towns and products; Kumamoto's Kumamon became a national celebrity, but in 2014 Osaka's governor said his prefecture had too many for people to tell what they promoted.

Detroit Red Wings mascot Al is which sea creature, a nod to fans throwing real ones onto the ice?

An octopus first hit the Detroit ice in 1952, thrown by two brothers who owned a fish market. Its eight arms stood for the eight wins then needed to lift the Stanley Cup.

Stuart Drummond, the man inside Hartlepool United's monkey mascot H'Angus, was elected to which office in 2002?

Town mayor of Hartlepool was the job he won, after campaigning for free bananas for all schoolchildren. He gave up the costume and was re-elected in 2005 with more than double the votes.

Hugo, the Charlotte Hornets mascot created in 1988, was designed by the daughter of which famous puppeteer?

Jim Henson's daughter Cheryl designed Hugo the Hornet a year before Hurricane Hugo struck the Carolinas, an unlucky coincidence of names.

Which NBA team's gorilla mascot began with a singing-telegram messenger who turned up at a game in costume?

Phoenix Suns games have featured the Gorilla ever since, and by the 1990s he was famous enough to appear as a hidden character in the video game NBA Jam.

Bill, the live mascot that has represented the United States Naval Academy since the 1890s, is which animal?

A goat has stood for Navy since one named El Cid made his debut at the fourth Army–Navy Game in 1893.

Misha, a smiling bear cub who shed a tear at the closing ceremony, was the mascot of which city's Olympics?

Moscow hosted the 1980 Games, where a giant Misha holding a cluster of balloons was paraded through the stadium at the closing ceremony.

The Phryges, the red mascots of the Paris 2024 Olympics, were shaped like which item of clothing?

A cap, the soft red Phrygian kind, became a symbol of liberty in the French Revolution, and France's national figure Marianne is often shown wearing one.

Footix, the mascot of the 1998 World Cup in France, was which bird, a traditional symbol of the nation?

A rooster was the choice, and Footix got his name from French TV viewers: football plus the -ix ending of the Astérix comics.

Youppi! became the first mascot to switch major leagues after which baseball team left town?

Montreal Expos mascot Youppi! found a new home with hockey's Canadiens. He had earlier become the first mascot thrown out of a Major League Baseball game.

Which NHL team's mascot, Harvey the Hound, had his tongue ripped out by rival coach Craig MacTavish in 2003?

Calgary Flames mascot Harvey lost his tongue to the Edmonton coach, who tossed it into the crowd. Other NHL mascots then arrived at the 2003 All-Star Game with their tongues hanging out.

Burnie, the furry mascot of the Miami Heat, is a walking version of which object on the team's logo?

A fireball with a green basketball for a nose, Burnie was sued after pulling a spectator onto the court to dance during a 1994 exhibition game in Puerto Rico.

Orlando Magic mascot Stuff takes his name from basketball slang and a pun on which famous dragon?

Puff, the Magic Dragon, the Peter, Paul and Mary song, supplied the pun, while a stuff is basketball slang for a slam dunk or for rejecting one.

Cavaliers mascot Moondog borrows the nickname of which Cleveland DJ who popularized the phrase rock and roll?

Alan Freed called himself Moondog on Cleveland radio. The dog shares mascot duties with Sir C.C., a swashbuckler who joined him in 2010.

Pierre, a mascot whose first face frightened fans and had to be redesigned, belongs to which NBA team?

Pelicans fans found Pierre's original design so unsettling that the New Orleans team gave him a redesigned head, unveiled on February 11, 2014.

Buoy, the Seattle Kraken mascot said to be the nephew of a famous local sculpture, is which creature?

A sea troll, Buoy is billed as a nephew of the Fremont Troll, the colossal statue that sits under the north end of Seattle's Aurora Bridge.

Nashville Predators mascot Gnash is which prehistoric animal, whose bones were unearthed in downtown Nashville?

Saber-toothed cat bones, a partial skeleton, were found in a cave during excavations for a downtown tower, so the hockey team adopted the animal.

Izzy, a blue blob first named Whatizit and widely mocked, was the mascot of which city's Summer Olympics?

Atlanta's 1996 mascot was panned for having no connection to the city, so organizers ran a poll to rename it and redesigned the character.

Sam the Olympic Eagle, the mascot of the 1984 Los Angeles Games, was designed by an artist at which company?

Disney artist Bob Moore drew Sam, who went on to feature in McDonald's merchandise and to star in a Japanese anime series called Eagle Sam.

Fuleco, the mascot of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, was which native animal?

An armadillo from a vulnerable species, Fuleco was the favourite design among the Brazilian children aged five to twelve who were polled.

Amik, the mascot of the 1976 Montreal Olympics, was which animal closely associated with Canada?

A beaver is exactly what amik means in the Algonquin language, and the animal was also chosen because it stands for hard work.

Rio 2016 Olympic mascot Vinicius was named after a poet who co-wrote which famous bossa nova song?

The Girl from Ipanema was written by Vinicius de Moraes with Tom Jobim, and a public vote gave the two songwriters' names to the Games' pair of mascots.

Mandeville, a London 2012 mascot, is named after an English hospital whose 1948 games led to which event?

The Paralympics grew out of the Stoke Mandeville Games, first organised by the hospital in 1948. The mascot's single eye is a camera.

Cobi, a sheepdog drawn in a Cubist style by designer Javier Mariscal, was the mascot of which Olympic host city?

Barcelona warmed to Cobi slowly: the avant-garde dog was criticised when he was unveiled in 1987, then won the public over by the time of the Games.

Kumamon, the mascot created in 2010 to draw tourists to Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture, is which animal?

A bear, as the kuma in his name says in Japanese, Kumamon may be used free of charge by anyone whose product promotes Kumamoto Prefecture.

Chance, the Vegas Golden Knights mascot, is which desert reptile said to have emerged from a Red Rock Canyon burrow?

A Gila monster, Chance is said to have left his burrow to see what the excitement was about, then fallen in love with hockey like many newcomers to the sport.

Wild Wing was set alight in 1995 while trying to leap a wall of fire as the mascot of which NHL team?

Anaheim Ducks mascot Wild Wing tripped on a trampoline during the stunt at a home opener. He later inspired the hero of the animated series Mighty Ducks.

Schuss, an unofficial 1968 forerunner often called the first Olympic mascot, was a cartoon figure doing which sport?

Skiing gave Schuss his name, a term for a fast straight run downhill, and the figure appeared on pins and small toys at the Grenoble Winter Games.

Gunnersaurus Rex, a seven-foot green dinosaur seen since the 1990s, is the mascot of which London football club?

Arsenal are nicknamed the Gunners, which explains the name. The smiling dinosaur made his first appearance at a home match against Manchester City.

Fatso, an unofficial mascot created by TV comedians to mock the Sydney 2000 Olympic trio, was which animal?

A wombat with a comically large rump, Fatso was a protest against mascot merchandising, yet a statue of him joined a memorial outside Sydney's Olympic stadium.

Zakumi, the green-haired mascot of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, was which animal?

A leopard coloured green and gold to match South Africa's national sports teams, Zakumi was given a birthday that falls on the country's Youth Day.

Ragnar, the bearded human mascot of the Minnesota Vikings from 1994 to 2015, rode onto the field on what?

A motorcycle carried Ragnar out in full Viking garb. Joseph Juranitch, who played him, won the job over 3,000 applicants and was let go in 2015 after a contract dispute.

Taima, who began leading the Seattle Seahawks out of the tunnel in 2006, is which kind of live bird?

An augur hawk, a bird of prey from the African uplands, Taima replaced a smaller bird named Faith who could not be trained to lead the team out.

Brownie, the Cleveland Browns mascot that owner Art Modell once dropped as too childish, is which creature?

An elf, Brownie came back when the team returned in 1999, and a fan poll later put his logo at midfield of the Browns' stadium from 2022 to 2024.

Before the Leprechaun became official in 1965, Notre Dame football was represented by a series of which dog breed?

Irish terrier mascots usually went by the name Clashmore Mike, and a handler dressed in green would walk one up and down in front of the cheerleaders.

Ralphie, who leads the University of Colorado football team onto the field at up to 25 miles per hour, is which animal?

A bison, always a female because females are smaller and less aggressive, plays Ralphie, and it takes five student handlers to guide her around the field.

The Sooner Schooner, which is driven onto the field after Oklahoma football scores, is what kind of vehicle?

A covered wagon, it is a scaled-down Conestoga pulled by two white ponies. Until the late 1980s the driver stood up for the ride, ducking just before the stadium tunnel.

The Stanford Tree, an unofficial mascot seen at football games, is officially a member of which campus group?

The marching band dreamed up the Tree for 1975 halftime shows that joked about new mascot ideas, among them a Steaming Manhole and a French Fry.

Who Dey, a mascot named after a fan chant used since the 1980s, belongs to which NFL team?

Cincinnati Bengals season ticket holders, more than 1,000 of them, also gave the name Who Dey to a Malayan tiger that arrived at the city's zoo in 2012.

Smokey, the live mascot who leads the Tennessee Volunteers onto the football field, is which breed of hound?

Bluetick coonhound Smokey won the job in a 1953 student contest: when his name was called he howled, and when the students cheered he howled again.

Wally, the furry Boston Red Sox mascot who debuted in 1997, is named after which feature of Fenway Park?

The Green Monster, the 37-foot wall in left field, gave Wally his name and his colour, though adults booed the cartoonish newcomer at first.

Bernie Brewer originally celebrated Milwaukee home runs by sliding out of his chalet and into a giant what?

A beer mug caught Bernie after every home run and victory, with balloons rising from it. He now slides onto a platform shaped like home plate.

The mascots who race in the middle of the sixth inning at Milwaukee Brewers home games are dressed as what?

Sausages have raced in Milwaukee since the early 1990s, starting with a bratwurst, a Polish and an Italian. In 2003 a visiting player knocked one over with his bat and was suspended.

Which president mascot in the Washington Nationals' fourth-inning race famously went almost seven seasons without a win?

Teddy Roosevelt lost through tripping, confusion and even an attack by a man dressed as a shark, before finally winning on October 3, 2012, after the team reached its first postseason.

Colorado Rockies mascot Dinger is which dinosaur, chosen after fossils turned up while Coors Field was being built?

Triceratops was the best guess for a piece of rib dug up at the stadium site, and the purple mascot's name is slang for a home run.

Connie Mack adopted which animal as the Athletics' mascot after rival manager John McGraw used it to mock the team?

An elephant, of the white kind, was McGraw's jibe at what the club's owner had on his hands. Mack later handed him a stuffed toy one at the 1905 World Series.

The Angels' Rally Monkey clips starred Katie, a capuchin who had earlier played Marcel on which TV sitcom?

Friends alumna Katie was hired after a scoreboard clip of a jumping monkey caught on in 2000, first shown as the Angels trailed in the ninth inning.

Bonnie Erickson, who co-created the Phillie Phanatic, is also known for designing which famous Muppet?

Miss Piggy and the hecklers Statler and Waldorf are among her best-known creations, all of them puppets made from carved foam.

Crazy Crab, a 1984 anti-mascot pelted so often that his suit was reinforced, belonged to which MLB team?

Giants fans threw beer bottles and batteries at Crazy Crab, a send-up of the mascot craze who lasted one season. San Francisco went without a mascot again until 1996.

Mariner Moose broke his ankle in the 1995 playoffs when he hit the outfield wall while being towed on what?

Inline skates behind an ATV were a regular act for the Moose at Seattle's Kingdome, until the crash left his performer with a compound fracture.

A Missouri Supreme Court ruling followed a 2009 injury caused when Royals mascot Sluggerrr threw what into the stands?

A hot dog toss is not an essential part of baseball, the court held, so the usual rule shielding teams from spectators' injury claims did not apply.