| Phillie Phanatic | |
|---|---|
 The Phanatic in March 2016 | |
| Team | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Description | Large, furry, green creature |
| Origin of name | Fanatical Philadelphiafans (stylized as "Phanatic" to match the city of Philadelphia) |
| First seen | April 25, 1978 |
| Hall of Fame | 2005 |
| Website | Official Website |
ThePhillie Phanatic is the officialmascot for thePhiladelphia PhilliesMajor League Baseball team. He is a large, furry, green creature with an extendable tongue. He performs various routines to entertain fans during baseball games atCitizens Bank Park and makes public relation and goodwill appearances for the Phillies. The Phanatic is widely acknowledged as the best ballpark mascot,[1][2][3] and one of the most recognizable mascots in North American sports.[4]
During the winter after the 1976 season, Dennis Lehman, who along with the Philadelphia Phillies Promotions Director, Frank Sullivan, thought the team needed a mascot similar to thePadres'San Diego Chicken. The Phanatic was created by Harrison/Erickson of New York City.Bonnie Erickson had ties withJim Henson'sMuppets as designer of Miss Piggy and Statler and Waldorf. Instead of a number on the back of hisjersey, he wears a star. The character was named for the fanatical fans of the team.
According toBill Giles, the Phanatic was created to attract more families to the Phillies' home,Veterans Stadium.[5]
The Phanatic replaced "Philadelphia Phil" and "Philadelphia Phillis", a pair of siblings dressed in 18th-century garb to invoke the city's revolutionary spirit from 1776. The pair were in the team logo from 1976 through 1978, and were part of the team's "Home Run Spectacular" at The Vet from 1971 through 1979. They reappeared with their replacement as the Phillies celebrated their final year at Veterans Stadium in 2003, including opening day and the final game.[6]
The Phanatic debuted on April 25, 1978, at The Vet, when the Phils played theChicago Cubs. He was formally introduced to the public on the locally produced children's showCaptain Noah and His Magical Ark by then-Phillies playerTim McCarver, who was doing promotional work for the team.
In his bookPouring Six Beers at a Time, Giles wrote of the worst decision of his life when it came to the creation of the Phanatic. The design would cost $5,200 for both the costume and the copyright ownership, or $3,900 just for the costume with Harrison/Erickson retaining the copyright. Giles chose to just buy the costume. Five years later, when Giles and his group of investors bought the team from Ruly Carpenter, the franchise paid $250,000 to Harrison/Erickson for the assignment of the copyright.
The Phanatic was originally portrayed byDavid Raymond. In 1976, Raymond had a summer internship within the team's front office. He returned in 1977. Raymond was asked to portray the mascot in 1978, which he did until 1993. Raymond's father isDelaware Blue HensHall of Fame coachTubby Raymond.[7] David Raymond was inducted into theDelaware Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.[8] Since 1993, Tom Burgoyne has portrayed the Phanatic, although in public – in order to retain the illusion that the Phanatic is a real creature – Burgoyne maintains that he is only the Phanatic's "best friend".
A major change occurred in the Phanatic's portrayal because Raymond is left-handed while Burgoyne is right-handed – despite Raymond's desire that his replacement be left-handed.
On August 2, 2019, the Phillies filed a lawsuit against the Phanatic creators for exercising their rights to renegotiate the 1984 licensing assignment according to copyright law.[9] In response, in 2020, the Phillies unveiled an updated Phanatic, which included lighter-green fur, arm-scales, star-shaped eyelids, powder-blue feathers, a longer tail, a shorter nose and red shoes.[10]
The Phillies regained the rights to original Phanatic beginning in the 2022 season after a settlement with Harrison/Erickson, the mascot's copyright owners and the creators.[11]
The Phanatic rides around on anATV. During games, the Phanatic wanders the stadium, greeting fans and humorously mocking supporters of the opposition. The Phanatic performs a number of regular routines on the field before the game and between innings. Some of these routines are:
His mother, Phoebe Phanatic, occasionally appears on-field with the Phanatic. He also has a younger cousin Phred, and a girlfriend Phiona who are rarely seen. According to the Phanatic's official biography, his birthplace is theGalápagos Islands.[15]
The Phanatic's favoriteumpire was the lateEric Gregg, a Philadelphia native, and he would greet him enthusiastically on the field when Gregg was in charge. Gregg would often play along with the Phanatic between innings, sometimes dancing with him or otherwise participating in his routines.
One week before the Phillies had their 2006 opener, the Phanatic was "dyed" red as part of the team's week-long promotion to "Paint the Town Red". He was "dipped into a special paint" made by a team sponsorMAB Paints (nowSherwin-Williams) and changed from green to red. He returned to his regular color in time for the season opener for that year. This was repeated for the 2007 season, as he became red at a Philadelphia Fire Department station to help raise funds forsmoke alarms in Philadelphia, raising over $4,000. "Paint the Town Red Week" has been repeated prior to the 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 seasons.
There is a running gag where the Phanatic humorously mocks opposition players and they would steal his ATV keys in retaliation.[16][17][18] However, the Phanatic's antics are not always popular with opposition players and coaches. During a September 1982 game,Cardinals outfielder (and former Phillies player)Lonnie Smith did not take kindly to the Phanatic's taunts and tackled the mascot mid game out of frustration.[19] Dodgers' managerTommy Lasorda in particular did not like the Phanatic's mocking of the Dodgers. In 1988, he assaulted the Phillie Phanatic during a nationally televised game after the Phanatic stomped on a life-sized dummy wearing Lasorda's uniform (reportedly provided by Dodger infielderSteve Sax).[20][21]
The Phanatic also has the dubious distinction of being the most sued mascot in sports.[22] In 2010, a woman filed suit claiming that the Phanatic injured her knee at a minor league game.[23]
In the 1970s, thePhiladelphia Inquirer had a daily comic strip showing the adventures of the Phanatic.[24]
The Phanatic appeared on the television seriesWhere in the World is Carmen Sandiego? in the episode "Phind that Phanatic" where The Phanatic is kidnapped by Top Grunge.
The Phanatic appeared on the episode of the television seriesJon and Kate Plus 8 titled "Baseball Game with Daddy", where Jon took Cara and all three boys to a Phillies game.
The Phanatic's head disappeared during the Phillies' "Final Pieces" charity sale and auction in 2004. Tom Burgoyne had taken off the costume for a break and found the head missing when he returned. One week later, someone anonymously called a local radio station claiming that he found the head and would bring it to the radio station. Police arrested and charged Bernard Bechtel with felony theft after he brought the $3,000 head to the station.[25]
The Phanatic appeared in theclosing credits of the filmRocky Balboa (2006).
In March 2009, the Phanatic appeared onThe Simpsons in the episode "Gone Maggie Gone", greeting a party of nuns disembarking from a ship at the future site of Philadelphia. In the episode "Dancin' Homer", there is a mascot that looks similar to the Phanatic, theCapital City Goofball.
In November 2009, the Phanatic was part of a bit on theLate Show with David Letterman called "Get to Know the Phillie Phanatic".[26]
In 2010, the Phanatic appeared in theThis is SportsCenter series of advertisements withDerek Jeter of theNew York Yankees, where Jeter asks others in the ESPN locker room who used his razor, with the Phanatic's signature green hair sticking out from the blades.[27][28]
The Phanatic was mimicked in an episode ofIt's Always Sunny in Philadelphia called "The World Series Defense". In the episode, Charlie's "Green Man" challenges that the "Phrenetic" (as it is referred to in the episode) should not be the only mascot for the Phillies. He is promptly put in his place by the "Phrenetic". In an interview with Angelo Cataldi, Tom Burgoyne revealed that Major League Baseball declined to allow the Phanatic to be used in the episode. Charlie references this at the conclusion of the episode, attempting to file a countersuit against Major League Baseball due to the fact that he has to call the mascot the "Phrenetic" when he knows its name is the "Phanatic".
On January 26, 2012, the Phanatic (credited to Tom Burgoyne) appeared as itself on an episode of theNBC sitcom30 Rock called "The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell".
He andMr. Met did aMasterCard commercial in 2013 to raise money for ending cancer.[29]
In 2015, the podcast99% Invisible did an episode about the evolution of mascots focusing on the creation of the Phanatic.[30]
The Phanatic was also on an episode of the showThe Goldbergs in 2015 called "The Lost Boy", and made a cameo appearance onCollege GameDay when theESPN show visited Philadelphia for a matchup betweenTemple andNotre Dame. It reappeared in a 2018 episode ofThe Goldbergs.
The Phanatic appeared on ABC'sSchooled episode "Rocks for Jocks".[31]
On June 1, 2022, the Phanatic was the subject of aJeopardy! clue during an episode in which two of the three contestants, Ryan Long and Vanessa Williams, were from Philadelphia.[32] In 2019,Alex Trebek told a contestant that he was "not a big fan" of the Phanatic.[33]
The Phanatic was voted "best mascot ever" bySports Illustrated Kids.[34] In January 2008,Forbes magazine named the Phanatic the best mascot in sports.[35]
In 2005, David Raymond founded theMascot Hall of Fame, and the Phanatic was inducted as a charter member. Since 2003, Burgoyne has written several children's books, published by the team, featuring the Phanatic.[36]
In 2009, the Phanatic was one of several recipients of the Great Friend to Kids (GFTK) Awards, given by thePlease Touch Museum (the Children's Museum of Philadelphia).[37]
The Phillie Phanatic, along withYouppi! also designed by Erickson, the mascot of the Montreal Expos, and theSan Diego Chicken, are the only mascots on display in theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum inCooperstown, New York.
In 2010, an assortment of 5 feet (1.5 m) tall, 100 pounds (45 kg) fiberglass statues were painted by artists and placed on display throughout Philadelphia from April through August with all proceeds going to Phillies' Charities.[38]
In 2015,Good Morning America bestowed the honor of the best mascot in baseball on the Phanatic.[39]
In 1989, Orlando's NBA expansion team, theMagic, was founded largely through the efforts of formerPhiladelphia 76ers General ManagerPat Williams. Williams introduced Stuff, another Bonnie Erickson design, a furry green dragon with similarities to the Phillie Phanatic, as the team's official mascot. When Williams staged the "birth" ofStuff at an Orlando event, the man inside Stuff was Dave Raymond.[40]
TheHiroshima Toyo Carp mascotSlyly bears a resemblance to the Phanatic. Both characters were designed by Harrison/Erickson.[41]
On September 24, 2018, the Philadelphia Flyers introduced their new mascot,Gritty, at thePlease Touch Museum.[42] On September 28, 2018, Gritty hung out with the Phillie Phanatic at Citizens Bank Park. Since then, the two have been featured on tee shirts, including the oneBryce Harper wore when he arrived at Citizens Bank Park.[43]
