Phillie Phanatic
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Phanatic_two.jpg
The Phillie Phanatic is the official mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team. A furry green creature with a cylindrical beak containing a tongue that sticks out, he was created by the team's marketing and promotions department during the winter after the 1977 season and is named for the fanatical fans of the team after an incident during the third game of the 1977 National League Championship Series, in which fans drove Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Burt Hooton into losing his composure leading to his removal from the game, which the Dodgers went on to win.
The Phanatic debuted on April 25, 1978 in Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since then, the Phanatic was given the title "baseball's best mascot" by sports analyst Tim McCarver. The Phanatic was originally portrayed by Dave Raymond, whose father is retired college football hall of fame coach Harold "Tubby" Raymond at the University of Delaware, for fifteen years, from 1978 to 1993. The character is currently (as of 2005) played by Tom Burgoyne.
Biography (from the Phillies marketing and promotions department)
Height: 6 feet, 6 inches (1.98 meters). Weight: 300 lbs (112 kilos), mostly fat.
Birthplace: The Galápagos Islands (In reality, the Acme Mascot Company — formerly known as Harrison-Erickson Designs — of New York City.)
Eyes: White eyeballs with black pupils, purple eyelashes and blue eybrows.
Physical defects: Overweight, clumsy feet, gawking neck, slight case of body odor.
Mother: Phoebe. Best Friend: Phyllis.
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.
External links
- Phanatic profile, from the official Phillies website (http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/phi/community/phi_community_phanatic.jsp)
- From USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/stories/2002-07-25-phillie-phanatic_x.htm), about the donation of a Phanatic outfit to the Baseball Hall of Fame.