TheMascot Hall of Fame is an online museum for sportsmascots. Prior to this, it operated a physical location between 2018 and 2024 as an interactive children's museum. It was founded byDavid Raymond, who was the originalPhillie Phanatic from 1978 to 1993.
Each year (beginning in 2005), mascots are elected into the Mascot Hall of Fame by the voting membership and an executive committee made up of performers, sports executives, and other individuals intimate with the mascot community. The mascots go through a nomination process that ends with the executive committee selecting six finalist in each category to be placed on the ballot for consideration. There is a public online vote that contributes a percentage of the final tally. In 2006, the Hall added a separate class to honor college mascots.[citation needed]
To be eligible for the Mascot Hall of Fame, a mascot must have existed for a minimum of 10 years. They must also impact both their sport and community, inspire their fans, and consistently give memorable and groundbreaking performances.[1]
It was founded as an online-only hall, with an induction ceremony taking place each year inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania. However, in September 2014, Raymond's mascot company signed a memorandum of understanding with the City ofWhiting, Indiana, to develop a permanent Mascot Hall of Fame on the south shore ofLake Michigan.[2][3] The educational,STEAM based, fully interactive museum opened December 26, 2018.[4] On July 22, 2024, the hall of fame announced that the Whiting, Indiana museum would close on September 14, 2024. In addition, the organization will continue online and are actively searching for a new location to host the museum.[5]
