Mascot Hall of Fame
The Mascot Hall of Fame, formally "The Mascot Hall of Fame Interactive Children's Museum", is a hall of fame for North American sports mascots. It was founded by David Raymond, who was the original Phillie Phanatic from 1978 to 1993. It was founded as an online-only hall, with an induction ceremony taking place each year in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, in September 2014, Raymond's mascot company signed a memorandum of understanding with the City of Whiting, Indiana, to develop a permanent Mascot Hall of Fame on the south shore of Lake Michigan.[1][2] The museum opened December 26, 2018.[3]
| Mascot Hall of Fame | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 2005 |
| Opened | 2018 |
| Location | Whiting, Indiana |
| Founder | David Raymond |
| Inductees | 25 (8 college; 17 professional) |
| Websites | funfurallinwhiting.org mascothalloffame.com |
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.
The mission of the Mascot Hall of Fame is to honor mascot performers, performances, and programs that have positively affected their communities. The Mascot Hall of Fame has also partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs and holds an online auction contributing to that cause. The main bulk of the items up for auction are pieces of signed sports memorabilia donated by professional sports teams around the nation.
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.
Inductees
The Phillie Phanatic with the Montreal Expos' Andrés Galarraga in 1987
Aubie, Auburn University's mascot
Clutch the Bear, the mascot of the Houston Rockets, on Halloween 2005
Bucky Badger, University of Wisconsin-Madison's mascot
Sparty, Michigan State University's mascot
Clutch in 2013
K.C. Wolf, the mascot of the Kansas City Chiefs
Brutus Buckeye, Ohio State University's mascot
Lil' Red, University of Nebraska's mascot
Benny the Bull, the mascot of the Chicago Bulls
Mr. Met, the mascot of the New York Mets, at Fenway Park
Smokey IX, former mascot of the University of Tennessee
References
- "Whiting Set to OK Mascot Hall". Retrieved 2014-09-26.
- "'Wacky, brilliant' Mascot Hall of Fame coming to Whiting". Retrieved 2014-10-08.
- Potempa, Philip (December 26, 2018). "Mascot Hall of Fame Opens in Whiting". Post-Tribune. Retrieved April 6, 2019.