Phillie Phanatic

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The Phillie Phanatic makes an appearance during the Phillies-Tigers Spring Training game at Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater, Florida on March, 11, 2007.

The Phillie Phanatic is the official mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team.

1 Profile
2 Debut
3 Current Status
4 Biography
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Profile

A furry green creature with a cylindrical beak containing a tongue that sticks out, he was created by Jim Henson and the team's marketing and promotions department during the winter after the 1977 season by an young executive named Dennis Lehman, who thought that the team needed a mascot similar to The San Diego Chicken. The character is named for the fanatical fans of the team after an incident during the third game of the 1977 National League Championship Series played at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium, in which fans drove Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Burt Hooton into losing his composure (he was removed from the game, but the Dodgers went on to win the game, and ultimately, the series). Another reason he was created, according to current owner and former team vice president Bill Giles was to bring more families to The Vet, as some of the more lubricated fans (for the lack of a better word) were involved in various fights when the team was doing good or bad.^[1] The Phanatic replaced a pair of siblings dressed in 18th Century garb named "Philadelphia Phil and Philadelphia Phillis", who 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. Both Phil and Phillis returned for the Vet's final year in 2003.

[edit] Debut

The Phanatic debuted on April 25, 1978 at The Vet when the Phils played the Chicago Cubs. Since then, he was given the title "baseball's best mascot" by sports analyst Tim McCarver, who formally introduced the Phanatic on the "Captain Noah and His Magical Ark" children's TV show on WPVI-TV that year as he did promotional work for the team as a side from being the "designated catcher" for Steve Carlton, as well as ESPN's Chris Berman. The Phanatic was originally portrayed by Dave Raymond, who was working as an intern in the team's front office. Raymond's father is retired college football hall of fame coach Harold "Tubby" Raymond at the University of Delaware, for fifteen years, from 1978 to 1993.

[edit] Current Status

The character is currently (as of 2007) played by Tom Burgoyne, a graduate of Saint Joseph's Prep and Drexel University, both fixtures of Philadelphia education. The Phanatic rides around on an ATV, being the first professional mascot to do so, on the artificial turf of The Vet, and now, with regular tires, on the grass at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillie Phanatic is one of the most popular and most easily recognized mascots in all of sports. He has a Japanese counterpart from the Hiroshima Carp named Slyly. In 2005, Raymond founded the Mascot Hall of Fame, and the Phanatic was inducted as a charter member of the Class of 2005.

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" as he was "dipped into a special paint" made by a team sponsor - MAB Paints - and was changed from green to red. He returned to his regular color in time for the season opener on April 3 of that year. This was repeated for the 2007 season, as he became red at a Philadelphia Fire Department station (with help from his backup, Matt Monro in the green outfit) to help raise funds for smoke alarms in Philadelphia. On April 2nd, he returned to his green hue in time for the opener.

Appeared in the closing credits of the film "Rocky Balboa" (2006)

[edit] Biography

Provided by the Philadelphia Phillies Marketing Department.

The Phanatic turned red for the week before the team opened its season in 2006, and was repeated in 2007.

Height: 6 feet, 6 inches (1.98 meters). Weight: 300 lb (136 kg), mostly fat.

Birthplace: The Galápagos Islands (In reality, the Acme Mascot Company — formerly known as Harrison-Erickson Designs — of New York City. Currently, Raymond Entertainment Group makes the Phanatic's main costume.)

Eyes: White eyeballs with black pupils, purple eyelashes and blue eyebrows.

Physical defects: Overweight, clumsy feet, gawking neck, slight case of body odor.

Mother: Phoebe.

Rival: Former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, Opposition Man

Favorite Food: Cheesesteaks, hoagies, soft pretzels, scrapple and Tastykakes.

Favorite Movie: "Rocky".

Favorite Song: "MotownPhilly" by Boyz II Men (and "Take Me Out To The Ball Game", of course.)

Greatest Moment: The parade that followed the Phillies winning the 1980 World Series.

Other Relative(s): Slyly of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp (maybe related); Cousin Phred (2000-2003), Cylo of the Lancaster Barnstormers.