Scooter was an anthropomorphicanimated baseball character used byFox Sports duringMajor League Baseball games to explain different types ofpitches in a way that was engaging to kids. The character appeared from 2004 until at least 2006 and was voiced byTom Kenny (best known for his work as the voice ofSpongeBob SquarePants).[1]
Scooter debuted in the2004 baseball season on April 16, during a game between theNew York Yankees andBoston Red Sox.[2] While Fox Sports television chairman David Hill called Scooter "really cute and really terrific," the character garnered few positive reactions otherwise, withSports Illustrated writer John Donovan warning: "purists everywhere, grab the barf bag,"[3] andSports Illustrated media writerRichard Deitsch using Scooter as an example of "how technology does not always help society."[4]The Sporting News reported polling their staff with the question "What best summarizes your feelings for Scooter, FOX's talking baseball?", and 45% of respondents chose the answer "Send him to a slow, painful death."[5] Despite the negative reactions, Scooter would still be used in televised baseball games until after the2006 World Series.
Some television historians have noticed the similarities between Scooter andPeter Puck, an animated hockey puck that was used byHockey Night in Canada andNHL on NBC in the 1970s to explain the rules of hockey to viewers. However, Peter Puck was well loved by viewers and is often looked at with nostalgia, whereas Scooter has been met with little but derision.