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. Mascots first appeared in the late 1800's on high school fields and college campuses. Soon every sports team was adorning their symbol stitched on to their uniform.Mascots are a person, animal or object that is believed to bring luck to those that honor it. It was thought that when they did this it would magically transfer some of the animal/objects power to the people. People believed so much in them that they would even dress to resemble them. So with large puppet mascots, real, wild and tamed animals were used as mascots. However, this method of mascotting was soon cast off due to the high price of taking care of the animals and it sometimes got a little bit too messy!This is the early beginning of mascots.
The name of a mascot is a key element for advancing its character. The name allows the fans to establish the qualities and 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 are both wild animals. Ray the Rhinoceros symbolizes big, strong, achievements and would represent power and force. On the other hand Kris the Kangaroo would be bouncy, quick and would symbolize agility and stamina. Choosing a name is just as important is just as important. Behavior also helps to determine the character of a mascot. The way a mascot is dressed helps describe its personality. The same as in life, the clothes someone wears says much about a person, this also goes for mascots. Again it helps to determine the gender and attitude of a mascot. 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.
To find out the life of a mascot I contacted mascots from all areas of team sports. The mascots that I spoke to is 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 I asked there is a lot that I learned about. I started with how each person got into mascotting. It seemed that each mascot got started for different reasons, but all started in school either college 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 which was 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 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 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 himself and 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 costume is a very interesting piece of the life of the mascot. The fact is the costumes are not as heavy as we think they are. But, they are hefty, have a limited air flow, and give impaired vision. 'Blitz' - Seattle Seahawks National Football League's costume weights 10 pounds and is made up of a spandex suit with foam muscles built in and with a football uniform over it. The head is designed with fur with a rubber beak covering a hockey helmet underneath. He stated that breathing is pretty difficult in the costume and it took some time to get used 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 gets wet then it would be 2-3 pounds heavier.
We also wanted to know the communication. Difficult or easy communicating to people without speaking. All of 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 job 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 woman 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. Although 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. He also films other mascots while they are 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 events, 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 costume. This is a job that they love and they become these characters which make them so memorable and enjoyable to watch perform.
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