Insider Justin

Today is a horrible day for many fans of Celebrity Mascot Games as the games has been officially canceled this year. For the past 20 years The Celebrity Mascot Games have been entertaining kids and family while also helping a great cause called “New Hope for Kids”. An amazing foundation helping kids that experience a family member’s loss or has an illness. Below we attached and official letter about this year’s cancellation. Celebrity Mascot Games takes 2013 hiatus The Mascot Games, co-owned and co-hosted by the Central Florida Sports Commission (CFSC) and New Hope for Kids since 1996, will not be held this year. Since the Celebrity Mascot Games is a local event, the CFSC Board of Directors has decided that the CFSC staff’s time and resources would be better allocated to securing and hosting sports events that serve its core mission. The mission of the CFSC is to drive sports tourism and economic development through sports. Therefore, CFSC and New Hope for Kids mutually decided that it was in the best interest of both parties and the Mascot Games to take a hiatus for 2013. Dave Joswick, the Executive Director of New Hope for Kids, said “We are sincerely disappointed in not presenting the 2013 Mascot Games, and know that the children and families who have made this event an important part of their summer tradition will be very sad to learn about it, too. However, we have already begun working with community leaders to host the Mascot Games in 2014. We will engage a new event partner to help New Hope for Kids organize and host the Celebrity Mascot Games in 2014. This unique and family-friendly event is an important part of our community and we want to see it continue for years to come.” According to the letter they are already working with community leaders so the games can return in 2014. So there’s no need to worry as The Celebrity Mascot Games are not gone for good and the CEO of MascotInsider will send a letter to New Hope for Kids letting them know we are here to help in any way. We wanted to thank the New Hope For Kids and Central Florida Sports Commission for allowing us to join them is helping to cover the games and we look forward to bringing you the best coverage again when the games return!

Rufus the Bear lost his head – literally – over finishing second in the world’s largest mascot race. Eighty-two mascots competed Sunday in the eighth annual Mascot Gold Cup Race at Wetherby Racecourse in Yorkshire, England. The fastest 1 minute, 15 seconds in mascot sports raised 12,000 pounds ($18,582) for the Sue Ryder Hospice and 5,000 pounds ($7,742) for other causes. After early leader Snappy the Alligator went down in the 1-furlong race and ran into race stewards on the side of the course once back up, Rufus the Bear, who finished second in the event last year, outdistanced Peanuts the Penguin (despite Rufus having to keep a hand on his head for balance). Rufus seemed to have the race in hand, but a late rush on the outside by Flash the Starlight Hike Star left Rufus the bridesmaid once again. Stunned, the individual inside the Rufus costume pulled off the giant head to see who stole his glory. Off balance, the individual hit the turf and the Rufus head went rolling ahead for yards. Quite a scene! While not a front-runner, Josh Hudson puts forth a noteworthy effort in the contest appropriately wearing a giant heart costume. Hudson, 17, has a rare heart condition known as transposition of the arteries and is the only person with the condition to live past age 8. He raised 106 pounds ($164) for Heart Research UK through his effort. Wearing the giant heart had its detriments, Hudson told the Bradford Telegraph & Argus. “It was quite tiring,” he said of the race. “It is an unsuitable costume when the wind catches it. I’d like to do something like that again, but I don’t know what’s next. It was nice to raise the money.” Source: http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/10387539.Sue_Ryder_Mascot_Race_raises___12_000_for_Manorlands_hospice Photo By: Dave Woodhead

Officials of a Canadian township are trying to stop a bong store’s mascot from making public appearances. Esquimalt, a township at the southern tip of Vancover Island in British Columbia, wants to ban the mascot of Bong Warehouse from being allowed on the streets of the area. Officials contend the mascot, which looks far more like a stoned Smurf than a bong, does not promote a healthy living message for the “family-friendly” community. One of the township’s councillors said he has received more complaints about the mascot than he does about sewage. Being as bongs are legal devices to sell in Canada, as well as the United States, it would seem that Esquimalt officials have a tough road ahead in their effort. In Canada, tobacco used in a pipe – like a bong – is also legal, as is medical marijuana. A business promoting a legal device would seem to have the right to advertise its product – with a mascot. Ryan Place, owner of the business, feels he is being unfairly targeted by the township. He said the mascot has only made a handful of appearances since his store opened in December and that he has never received a direct complaint about the mascot. In fact, he said, many people want to have their photo taken with the mascot at appearances. He doesn’t foresee any rules being enforceable to keep him from using the mascot and said there is only an objection because his mascot is for a marijuana-related business. A place noted anything involving marijuana continues to be controversial. He said he will fight any restrictions the township tries to place on the mascot’s use. Do you agree with this? Should the town be forced to ban the mascot due to it being not family friendly? Answer below in the comments.. Original Source: http://www.timescolonist.com/news/esquimalt-wants-to-ban-bong-mascot-1.117290 Photograph that’s featured in this article by: DARREN STONE, VICTORIA TIMES COLONIST

The mascot for the Tampa Bay Rays has a bit of explaining to do, after photos surfaced of the icon making light of wildlife expert Steve Irwin’s untimely death via a held up a sign. The event was captured via Smartphone camera by a member of the crowd and has now gone viral online. The sign, which was displayed at a recent game, features a photo of the late “Crocodile Hunter” with the caption “Rays To Do List” and two items that included the name Steve Irwin and the World Series. Irwin’s name was also crossed out and a photo of the wildlife expert was shown. Irwin, famous for his “Crocodile Hunter” television show, famously died from a bizarre sting ray attack while diving in Australia in 2006. While the joke may have seemed funny to some, ball club officials are taking the matter seriously. According to Orlando area news sources, the a team spokesman issued the following statement: “The Tampa Bay Rays regret that this particular sign was displayed in the ballpark, and we apologize for the lapse in judgment.” The spokesman also went on to explain that the sign was fan created and that the mascot, Raymond Ray, was simply holding it up for the crowd. But the event leads many to wonder, how far is too far in the name of crowd entertainment? What do you think? Should the team be responsible for what fan created signs come into the ballpark?

MascotInsider is pleased to bring another interview this time with the owner of AMAZING!! Mascots, Inc. Kelly Frank Let’s begin.. 1. How did you get your start being a professional mascot and creating mascot costumes? As a sports fan, I was always interested in mascots. I grew up in South Florida and in the late 80’s/early 90’s we had some of the best mascots (Burnie-Miami Heat, Billy-Florida Marlins, Stanley-Florida Panthers). While in high school I got an internship with the indoor soccer team. That lead to part time positions with the Arena Football and MLS team. While in college I worked as a parade performer at Walt Disney World, a seasonal “scare-actor” and costume technician at Universal Studios, served as my college mascot for a year, interned with the WNBA team as their mascot, and performed across the country as JJ Jumper, the official mascot of NCAA Basketball. While in college, in order to gain more experience, I learned how to make costumes with the help of some mascot makers and my friend’s mother who was a seamstress. To help perfect my craft I approached a couple of teams and offered a low cost costume if they paid for materials. It helped me learn how to make costumes and led to my first big sale, a $3,000 suit to the Miami SOL of the WNBA. That was a lot of money for a college kid, and I’ve been hooked ever since! 2. What are some of your favorite things to do as a mascot? There are so many things: dancing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJQwC8_DOG, celebrating a win http://i.imgur.com/060aN.jpg>, hospital visits, nailing a skit, player interaction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i60XoQfL1M0, meeting celebrities http://i.imgur.com/bc7o4.jpg and more. But I think my favorite thing is subtlety. Conveying something minute, non verbally, and making people laugh. It might be a simple turn of the head, a pause, or an on time reaction. It’s not something the whole stadium sees, but for the people who see it it’s hilarious, and adds so much depth to the character and performance. 3. You’ve been a mascot for many different sports teams. What sport is your favorite to mascot?* Baseball. In my opinion is the perfect venue for a mascot. There is plenty of down time and usually a lot of places to position yourself to be seen. I call it “a long conversation.” You can pop out, do something during the start of the game, and come back later and call back to your prior shenanigans. Do to the pace of the game, people really watch you when you’re out performing. Arena football is just crazy, unadulterated fun. It’s just a non stop show and a great venue for a mascot performer. I used to literally be on the field during play (while it was at the other end) and could run and be center field constantly. The players and refs don’t take themselves too seriously and you have a ton of fodder for humor. Having players and officials that are willing to play with you makes for a much funnier performance. I love hockey as a fan, but as a mascot I found it challenging. It’s hard to be center stage and the game is so fast you have to wait for the whistle to try and entertain, or risk annoying fans. You can read an article I wrote about performing in different venues on Gameops.com http://www.gameops.com/essay-writers/mascot-tips 4. Are there any mascots you looked up to when you began your career? The Phillie Phanatic, of course. I remember the first time I saw one of his performances. I was like “Oh, this is what a mascot can do!” He was just always on, never out of character, and almost every moment was funny. Clutch of the Houston Rockets http://www.youtube.com/user/nosuchthing was another inspiration. He was edgy, hilarious, and cute all at once as well as the ultimate businessman. Erin Blank, who was Paws of the Detroit Tigers at the time, also helped get my career going by offering a ton of advice. But I think my favorite had to be the original Burnie for the Miami Heat. He was just such a true clown, always pushing it, always making me laugh. I modeled a lot of my character attributes after him. 5. What kind of advice could you give someone who wants to become a professional mascot, but doesn’t know where to begin? Get training by attending a mascot boot camp. Keystone Mascots and Raymond Entertainment offer them as well as the United Cheerleading Association. Call local teams and see if they need a backup or mascot assistant. Some teams offer internships for mascots. Audition for your high school or college mascot. If you’re near a theme park, get work as a costumed character. Enhance your skill set by taking dancing/acting lessons. If possible, learn gymnastics. Practice tricks such as juggling, unicycling, and stilt walking. If you can’t land a mascot position with a team, try out for their promo squad and learn how to be an out of costume entertainer. If no jobs are available, consider purchasing or making your own costume and volunteer at community events to get experience. A great way to learn is by watching other mascots. Thanks to YouTube http://www.youtube.com/amazingmascotsinc, it’s easier than ever to watch other mascots. Mimic what you see your favorite performers do and add your own personality traits to develop your character. Video tape yourself as much as possible and watch the footage. It helps you learn. I also advise new performers, in this age of litigation, to think before they act/react. A simple mistake could lead to someone getting hurt, and the performer being liable. This is why getting proper training is key. 6. How do you deal with a crowd that lacks energy? It’s rare that this happens. The only time I’ve run into crowds like this are small crowds at sponsored events, where there are only so many people to interact with. I’ll spend more one on one time with individuals that enjoy the mascot, like children, and take breaks so the mascot doesn’t get “annoying.” If it’s really slow, I’ll stand next to the road by the sponsor’s sign and wave. But I’m careful to stay far away from the road to avoid possible injury. If I’m in a crowd that’s just “not having” the mascot (usually tweens through college age) I’ll showcase my dance skills or woo them with my giveaway items. Once you get them over the “I’m too cool for a mascot” it’s be fun. 7. How do you deal with the times that YOU lack energy? Even when I’m tired, grumpy, or having a bad day, when the suit comes on I snap out of it. I’ve had days when I’m exhausted and I swear I’m going to “tone it down” and just get through the event. It never happens. I’m incapable of “phoning it in” as the crowd always gives me the energy to perform, no matter how tired I am. 8. What are some of you favorite memories of being a professional mascot? For my first regular season MLB game I got flown to Japan where the Devil Rays took on the New York Yankees for the 2004 MLB season opener. I remember standing behind home plate at the Tokyo Dome, looking up at 50,000+ fans, and just being in awe. The 2008 season was another highlight, with the Rays making the playoffs for the first time ever, and beating the Red Sox in 7 games during the ALCS. When we went to the World Series I was standing on the field, seeing the World Series logo everywhere and thinking “Is this real?” As a hockey fan I truly enjoyed the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2011 post season run where they were one game away from the Stanley cup finals. The whole run was awesome, but I really enjoyed game 4 of the Eastern Conference semi finals they swept the Capitals. The crowd was electric. 9. How does AMAZING!! Mascots, Inc. compete with other mascot costume creators? Our costumes are designed with the performer in mind and we do not stick to one “look” or production method. Our costumes truly are unique and we construct them using whatever method is best suited for the client’s needs. We strive to make each costume unique and fit within the client’s budget. Also we’re the only company whose head designer is a current mascot performer who has performed for MLB, NHL, NBA (backup), WNBA, MLS, Arena Football, Minor League Baseball, Minor League Hockey, NCAA Basketball, and Division 1 College Football and worked as a character costume technician at Universal Studios Florida. I have worn countless costumes and talked with dozens (if not 100+) performers and know the pros and cons of various costume construction techniques. We have a new production technique that takes a 2D drawing and turns it into a 3D http://i.imgur.com/Qf8Pu.jpg model that can be viewed at all angles http://i.imgur.com/SHFSB.jpg. The client can make changes to the model http://i.imgur.com/Uslmv.jpg, and them we print out a pattern, and construct the head http://i.imgur.com/P7axj.jpg. You basically get to see the head http://i.imgur.com/QLoc9.jpg before we even start making it. Plus, at AMAZING!! Mascots, Inc. we’re mascot fans http://imgur.com/a/BrlKK#0 and we truly want you to have the best looking, high performance, durable mascot you can afford. Thanks to Kelly Frank from AMAZING!! Mascots, Inc. for doing an interview with us today. To see the latest mascot news, videos, and job postings be sure to “Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amazingmascots, follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/amazingmascots, and check out our new blog at http://amazingmascots.wordpress.com/

Welcome to MascotInsider coverage of IAAPA 2012. We’ve had an amazing time and now we get to share the experience with you. IAAPA show floor features many amazing companies that are in the amusement park business. Such as making rides, shows, attractions and more! During IAAPA we got to interview select mascot companies that attended the expo plus also learn more from other companies about exciting developments. We are pleased to present our video interviews & photos from the event enjoy! Video Interviews: (Coming Soon) Photos: (Coming Soon)

MascotInsider is proud to present another great interview! Today with our interviewing The Fur Circus let’s begin.. 1. What are some of the difficulties and advantages of performing as a group? Anytime you are in a group there are challenges, be it personalities, work ethic, ideas and so forth. The uniqueness of Fur Circus is that all of us have a long stand working relationship as professional mascots before creating our enFURtainment concept. Our FURternity and cross collaboration is not something you see in a city with several professional sports teams/mascots. We have a lot of energy, passion and respect for this industry and because of that, a mutual respect for each other. When we get into creative sessions and executing for clients we can get extremely creative with some wild ideas. Our challenge is keeping up with our ideas and making sure that they fit into what we are doing. 2. Where is your favorite place to perform? We have performed in a lot of great venues and towns, for great organizations. However, our favorite place to “do what we do” is in hospitals. Bringing the suspension of reality to people during difficult times is just something you can’t top. It’s very fulfilling and, for us, a constant reminder that what we do can positively affect many people. 3. What kind of advice could you give someone who wants to become a professional mascot, but doesn’t know where to begin? There are a lot of opinions, people and camps out there that can tell you how to be a mascot but the reality is you have to start somewhere. You can shadow mascots. Watch guys, talk with them and have them work with you. There are guys that have been actively performing for a long time and are genuine when it comes to passing off a little advice. Finally, always let your mascot head be bigger than your own. Being a professional mascot means knowing when to be on and when to be off, too many mascots have ruined great opportunities because they let their ego get in the way of being a professional mascot. When we represent organizations we are held accountable for our actions inside and outside the costume! 4. How do you guys deal with a crowd that lacks energy? As a group, we always have back up plans.and back up plans for our back up plans. The idea is being flexible and adapting to the situation. You have to be able to read the crowd and adjust your performance, meet them where they are at and bring them up. Our skits are never the same, no matter how many times we rehearse or script them out because we adjust them to meet the crowd where they are at. 5. Have you guys ever been injured while performing and if so what happened? Yes, Yes, Yes. Collectively, we have had broken noses, toes, stitches, shoulder tears, knees, backs, necks.the list goes on. 6. What is the farthest place you as a group have traveled to perform? As a group we are very methodical about where we perform, we’re developing something to stand the test of time and not just the now. For that reason we have been working with organizations in the southeast, we’re based out of Atlanta. However, our guys have gone to China, Brazil, Europe, Guam, Canada, all over. 7. What kind of mascot experience do you guys have prior to becoming The Fur Circus? Our group has over 50 years of combined experience working in all levels of professional sports. We cover MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL, WNBA, AFL, MiLB, professional hockey and soccer. Outside of the sports realm includes NCAA, Jimmy Buffett, UniverSoul Circus, Harlem Globetrotters, Warner Brothers and the Olympic games. 8. How many shows do you guys do a year and what sports do you guys perform at? We do all sports plus a lot of festivals and events. It really just depends on the time of the year. 9. How do you guys compete against other traveling entertainment groups like BirdZerk and The Famous Chicken? This business is certainly a small world and we have crossed paths with many of the other entertainment acts out there. To be very honest we don’t really see them as competitors as we all offer very different products. I certainly would like to think that we have a more diversely experienced group of enFURtainers but, again, what we are offering is very different from what everyone else is. 10. How do you guys deal with the times that YOU physically lack energy? When we are on the ground working with a client it does get to be a bit of a non-stop kind of day. Staying hydrated, working together as a group and taking care of ourselves. Taking care of the basics. The show must always go on! Thanks The Fur Circus for interviewing with MascotInsider today. You can visit their official website at thefurcircus.com and be sure to “Like” their official page by clicking here.

Welcome to another Mascot Interview presented by MascotInsider this time it’s with Dave Raymond let’s begin.. 1. What are some of your memories from your first game as the Phillie Phanatic? Great fear that the same fans that booed Santa Clause and Easter Bunny would turn on me as a green furry Muppet. Actually what happened was the realization about how much fun it was and was going to be. The fans were accepting and a great bond between the Phanatic and the fans began on that night late in April 1978 that continues today almost 36 years later! 2. What kind of advice could you give someone who wants to become a professional mascot, but doesn’t know where to begin? The best advice I ever received was from my boss Bill Giles on the first night I wore the costume. I was concerned because, up to that point, no one had told me what to do, or maybe even more importantly, what not to do. Bill said, “David…just have fun. If you are not having fun you will not be funny and if you are not funny this will not be successful”. So…everyone who is in this business must make sure it makes them happy and that it is fun for them to do. If not, it will not be a success no matter how talented they are. Also you have to take it seriously. Yes…it is “serious” fun! That means you have to practice and be skilled in your presentation. 3. What happened to the Mascot Hall of Fame? By that I mean it stops with the 2008 inductees why hasn’t it continued? The Mascot Hall of Fame is alive and well. We are waiting to find the next great mascot to induct. We have to be careful with the Mascots we consider. There may even be a permanent Mascot Hall of Fame in the Chicago area soon. 4. What would you say is the most vaulable part of a mascot program for colleges and sports teams? The organization must be willing to set it as a priority and budget for success. Remember that your mascot is a living, breathing brand extension not just a “kid in a suit”. You would skimp on the development of your logo and you shouldn’t do that on the one initiative that can go everywhere and remind your, students, fans, customers and employees that you value fun! A mascot can deliver your message with entertainment and make it more memorable than any other form of marketing or advertising. 5. Where did you get the name “Emperor of Fun and Games?” John Brazer is the Director of Fun and Games for the Philadelphia Phillies. I love the title and decided that if I stole the idea from him I had to make it a title that trumped director so the Emperor of Fun and Games was created! John still gives me a hard time about every time I see him. 6. How did you deal with a crowd that lacked energy? Crowds that I worked in front of never lacked energy. Fans always want to have fun. That is why they are coming to the game in the first place. They want to be distracted from their problems and struggles for a few hours. The Phanatic was the perfect distraction and I don’t ever remember a crowd that didn’t respond the Phanatic and the other characters that I had the privilege of performing. 7. How did you deal with the times that YOU lacked energy? Now that is a whole different question! I tried to always remember how lucky I was to have the opportunity to be paid to be an idiot. It was truly the best job on the planet! The best way for me to deal with the lack of my energy was the same as the fan would. I focused on the faces of the fans and kids that were enjoying the character. That provides more energy than you can imagine. I worked through the anguish of losing my mother to cancer while I was performing as the Phanatic and I believe that it helped me recover more quickly mentally and emotionally because of the Philadelphia fans support. 8. What are some of your highlights as a mascot? To name just few… Working a funeral as the Phanatic and being successful Riding in the 1980 World Series Parade as the Phanatic The Phanatic’s infamous fight with Tommy Lasorda Working as the Phanatic in LA in front of the Dodger fans Working as the Phanatic in San Diego in front of the Padre fans Catching a foul ball in costume when the Phillies were beating the Atlanta Braves during the 1993 playoffs Rolling out our new character called Sport for Acme Mascots in 1994 9. Who influenced you to become a mascot? No one! I was just in the right place at the right time. I was an athlete all through high school and college and if someone told me that I would end up becoming a professional mascot I would have told them they were nuts! 10. Do you remember any fans who left a big impression on you during your career? All of the mentally and physically challenged kids. Nothing was more sobering and gave me better perspective then kids who had so much less that I did in terms of health and they were just as happy as I would ever be! That can certainly wake you up a bit. Dave Thanks so much to Mr. Dave Raymond for doing an interview with MascotInsider for more information about his company please visit http://raymondeg.com/.

MascotInsider is pleased to present another great mascot interview staring Top Dog Owner Of Street Characters Inc. Let’s begin.. 1. What are some of your memories from your first game as Harvey the Hound? Wow, that was a looong time ago, I don’t recall my first game. What I do recall is the Flames back then were like the Chicago Bulls when they had Michael Jordan – tickets to the game were extremely hard to get. That meant that most of the crowd were businessmen from Downtown. The average age was in the 50’s and the vast majority were college graduates – the only time you saw any kids at the game was if it was Saturday Afternoon. This highly educated, white collar crowd was exactly the kind of crowd you would expect wouldn’t work for a mascot, yet when the Flames did season Ticket Holder surveys, Harvey consistently scored as their favorite thing at a Flames Game – after the hockey of course! 2. What kind of advice could you give someone who wants to become a professional mascot, but doesn’t know where to begin? If you can believe it I get lots of email from people who have never been in a costume who ask how they can become a major league mascot, as if all they had to do was put on a costume! I explain they need to get some experience. Start by volunteering for a local charity, find out if you can assist the mascot at a minor league team. From there you will get to know the Team as well as other mascots in the area, continue to get as much experience as possible, remember, at this point it has to be about getting experience and not getting paid. As you get more and more experience and start to move up the ladder other organizations will start to hear about you and other mascots will tell you about job openings. Most importantly, make sure you get a video of your best stuff to make an audition video. Being a mascot these days is pretty much like being a player, you start off because you love it, then you may play for your school, then a Minor League, Team or Teams, then hopefully you’ll get your big break and make it to the Majors. 3. What started Harvey the Hound’s feud with TSN broadcaster Gary Green? That was a long standing feud with several Chapters. The event that got it all going was at a game at Halloween. It was a very one sided game, Calgary was up several goals at the end of the first period. At the start of the Intermission Gary had the unfortunate task of recapping a stinker of a game. He was standing in the corner with the rink behind him trying to find something interesting to say. Harvey was standing behind Gary listens intently, Harvey then started the motion that he was shovelling something (presumably manure), then made the motion that something really smelled. The crowd was loving it and even though Harvey was behind him, Gary could see what was going on through his monitor. On TV you could see him looking off to the side of the monitor and being somewhat distracted as he watched the antics behind him. He finally said “I can’t take this anymore, this dog is driving me crazy”, he dropped the mike, grabbed Harvey around the throat and started banging the Hound’s head against the glass. The crowd loved it! TSN had a game the next night in Vancouver, apparently as Gary walked through the Vancouver Airport people were stopping him and asking “What did you do to that poor dog last night?” From there the battle was on. My favorite Story was when TSN was in Calgary on Trade Day. Harvey was walking around with a telephone in one hand, and a sign in the other that reads “Telephone Call for Gary Green”. Harvey then got down in front of a camera and held up another sign “You’ve been traded…” then flipped the sign over where the backside said “To the Home Shopping Network!” It was classic. 4. Was there another mascot you learned from? No, when Harvey was started he was the first mascot in the NHL and one of the first in Pro Sports. We were pioneers so to speak as there were only a handful of mascots. When I train people today, though I do tell them a great way to learn is to watch other mascots. You will pick up new moves and variations of what you’re doing now. There’s more than one way to show you’re in love with a girl, or angry for example. 5. Where did you get the name “Top Dog?” When I started Street Characters I wanted to have a title that better reflected who were are, and more fun. The president sounded just too formal. People seem to really love it as well. 6. How did you deal with a crowd that lacked energy? I’m going to answer this question a little differently. People often ask me what the biggest mistake is that’s made with a mascot. You’ll be surprised, but my answer is always, “They use them too much”. Like any team, the Flames didn’t play their best every night. In those instances where they stunk it didn’t matter what Harvey did, it would just aggravate the fans more because they weren’t in the mood. If you try to force yourself on them you end up just aggravating them. During those times we would take a long break in our dressing room. Hopefully something positive would happen and you could build on that when you came back out. Usually, Harvey’s absence was also noticeable, so they were much more responsive when he returned. You want to make sure you don’t overstay your welcome, and if the crowd isn’t happy to see you, get the hell out of there. 7. How did you deal with the times that YOU lacked energy? One word, “Bananas.” 8. What did you do during off-season? Harvey was kept busy all season, in the off season the Flames would travel to the small towns and the players would challenge the locals to a softball game. Harvey was there for both comic relief, pitched a few games, and even saved a home run by catching the ball in his dog bowl! From a personal standpoint, we live on the edge of the mountains, it seems like you’re always doing something outdoors. 9. What was your favorite thing to do as a mascot? Harvey’s signature move was walking along the top of the glass, his feet would slip, and he would end up straddling the glass. You could hear every Male in the building going “Ohhh”. One year, we delivered “Kingston” a new character to the LA Kings. I was asked if I would wear the costume for the unveiling at a game. During my briefing a section was pointed out to me and I was told “Don’t go near there, they’re crazy, they’ll tear you apart!” When they introduced me I looked at my boss, then pointed to the section I was told to stay away from, then looked back at him to see him saying “NO, NO, NO”, I gave him a little wave and headed directly into the middle of that section. Fortunately, it had a narrow metal railing and I did my full thing. From that point on I had them eating out of my hands. They could see I was literally busting my you know what for them. I’ve been happily married for 20 years now, no kids though, can’t figure out why! 10. Do you remember any fans who left a big impression on you during your career? Not any specifics, the great thing about Hockey is that you’re in the crowd pretty much for the entire game. I would say that most Hockey mascots are really good at interacting with the crowd from the entire building down to one individual fan. The best ones are the ones that play along because the spontaneous bits are usually the funniest. We never tried to embarrass anyone, we always made sure the victim was having as much fun as everyone else. I remember one time Harvey seeing a fan with the opposing team’s jersey on. Harvey stopped and pointed him out to the crowd. Then motioned to the fan to come down and fight him. The fan was laughing and finally stood up and came down the stairs. Turns out this guy was huge and towered over Harvey. The look on Harvey’s face was “Oh crap”. The fan picked up Harvey and threw him over his shoulders and proceeded to carry Harvey back up the stairs. Harvey looked down, and there, in this guy’s back pocket was his wallet! Harvey casually reached down, plucked the wallet out of his pocket and then hid it in the costume. The fan puts Harvey down and then shook his hand as though it was all in good fun – no hard feelings. The fan sat down and Harvey ran down the stairs in front of the section, and pulled out the wallet. The fan was busy high fiving his buddies about how he showed the Hound while Harvey was in front of everyone going through the wallet. Finally, someone said to the guy “Hey, where’s your wallet?” The guy checks his back pocket and then sees Harvey. He comes down and snatches his wallet while Harvey is looking through it. Harvey’s look is “Hey, what just happened?” The fan returned to his seat with smiles all around (including his own). The highlight of my career was when I ran the mascot program for the Calgary Stampede. During the Medal Ceremonies of the ’88 Olympics I was on stage with a band as the warm up act. The band would have the crowd participating in every song and it was great being in control of 60,000 fans from around the World every night during the Olympics. Thank you to Top Dog for joining us for an interview at MascotInsider for more information about Street Characters Inc you may click here. And you can “Like” them on Facebook by clicking here!

MascotInsider is proud to introduce another great Mascot Interview this time with Rocky the Bull from USF so let’s begin.. Question 1: When it’s game day do you also get the players excited before the game? Yes! For every home football game, I lead the team out onto the field! I run out of the tunnel with the players, carrying a huge USF flag from one end zone to the other. Then, I jump into the student section, where all of the students crowd surf me to get ready for the game. But, I must say that the most awesome time I had pumped up one of our teams before a game was during the Softball World Series in Oklahoma City this past year. Before we played Oklahoma in the first game, Coach Ken Erickson told the team that he had a very special guest for them. Then, he called me into the locker room before the girls took the field and I went bonkers. The team and I were so excited to be in the World Series! Question 2: What is your favorite thing to do as a mascot? Little kids and our students are most dear to my heart! So taking pictures and signing autographs for them is the best! Question 3: How awesome is it to be in the Celebrity Mascot Games? It is my favorite event every year! I circle my calendar for the Mascot Games because I know that is where the biggest and best mascots are every single summer. I love competing with them to see who the real champion of the mascot world is! Question 4: Is there another mascots you learn from? All of the teams in the Tampa Bay area are very close with one another. Thunderbug, Raymond, and Captain Fear are some of my best friends. So naturally, I have learned a lot from them since we are at a lot of the same events every year. Question 5: Do you do anything during off-season? There is NO off-season when you’re a mascot! The summer is one of the busiest times for me. I have freshmen orientations, photo and commercial shoots, the Mascot Games, and community appearances throughout the summer. We pride ourselves at USF as being one of the top community-engaged research universities in the nation. Question 6: What is your favorite sport? No doubt about it….football!!! We love our USF Bulls football team and are extremely excited about the upcoming year. Big East basketball is my second favorite, especially with the new Sun Dome arena opening up this year! Everyone needs to find some time to come to Tampa and check it out! Special thanks to Justin Jolley and his great crew at MascotInsider. Love the work you guys do! In Bull Pride, Rocky the Bull

Welcome to MascotInsider’s Coverage of the 20th Annual Celebrity Mascot Games. It was an honor to be invited this year as part of their Media. We had the opportunity to help cover the best games in Orlando, FL. This review will cover Saturday’s event, but the photos will also include some from Friday’s event. So let’s begin.. Around 12:20 PM, we joined up with Adam Tursdell, Ozzie’s mascot escort. We went to the elevator and before you knew it, the madness began! Ozzie spotted a sliver cart that’s normally used to transfer food and other stuff and he sat on it. Adam asked him if he wanted a ride and he shook his head up and down, yes, Other mascots, Stormy from the Carolina Hurricanes and Baby Jay from the University of Kansas, joined in on the fun. By the time we approached the third floor, Ozzie was still on the cart, but the other mascots had decided to walk. I helped push him all the way to the table; it made many other local crew members that worked for Amway Center have a laugh. Unfortunately, I could not see ahead of me and I ended up bumping into a mascot making him fall down, he was okay though and we all moved forward. Before the kids came in to greet the mascots, I had an opportunity to present an award to Ozzie; he won “favorite mascot”. I got a few photos, watched the kids have an amazing time getting autographs and photos with their favorite mascot and getting kicked in the knee by another mascot. Eventually, it was time to return the mascots to the locker rooms. Ozzie got into his cart and I pushed him all the way to the elevator, of course, he fell out of the cart twice. He pretty much didn’t trust me to push him anymore, so he walked back the rest of the way and volunteer Adam dropped him off. Finally, The 20th Annual Celebrity Mascot Games began! All the awesome mascots were welcomed into the games. They entered by running out of the tunnel by their team color, either Red, Blue, Green or Yellow. The introductions concluded and the mascots began to work through three of the first challenges. There was running, a challenging obstacle course called “Gridiron 5k Cross Fit Challenge” and there was a game called “The Pizza Hut Hungry Hungry Mascots” where the mascots had to try and grab the most pizza boxes while other mascots tried to prevent the opposing team from getting them. After that, the next challenge was called “Truly Nolen Mascot Squeeze” where one team of mascots had to try and fit into an incredibly tiny car while being chased by another team. The mascots finally got a break and Gina, Orlando Magic’s good luck charm, was once again the half time entertainment. She did an AMAZING job. Once that was over, the next challenge was “Clear Channel Outdoor Joust”. For the first time ever, MascotInsider strapped a Go Pro Camera onto Ozzie. It will give you an experience like never before! You’ll be able to see that in an upcoming post soon. In this competition, mascots had to joist each other, the last one remaining would be declared the winner! The final challenge was called “Coca Cola Obstacle Course”. In this challenge, the mascots had to go through a bunch of obstacle courses including going up a rock wall at the end of the course. After all the teams battled their way though these difficult challenges, the winner of Saturday’s game was declared. The… BLUE team was the winner! Fin has battled it out in the Celebrity Mascot Games for two years and helped the Blue Team gain a championship title. That ended the 20th Annual Celebrity Mascot Games. Check out all our media coverage from this year’s Celebrity Mascot Games including, photos and videos below!

Who’s ready for the best games in Florida to return? Starting July 19th the games are back and MascotInsider once again is the best website to cover the games. It’s amazing to see it’s already been 20 years since the games originally started and we can’t wait to celebrate with them. Below is some information if you’re interested in attending. Locations and times: Stenson University July 19th 12:30 PM EST Amway Center July 20th 12:30 PM EST Amway Center July 21st 2:00 PM EST Prices: $10.00 General Admission $16.00 for Reserved Seating (Only available for Saturdays game at Amway Center) Buy Tickets (Advance Purchases only available for Amway Center) As we’ve mentioned before count on us being the number one website covering the 20th annual Celebrity Mascot Games and for more information about Celebrity Mascot Games please visit mascotgames.org.

After a total of 5,442 votes the results are in and the WINNER IS.. Ozzie Osprey from UNF, he battle, though a tough competition after being beaten almost by Wolfpack from North Carolina State University & Homer Brave from Atlanta Braves. But he stayed strong and fought for first place and it turned well. We really wanted to thank all our wonderful fans and mascots for promoting this poll be sure to view the rewards blow. 3 Top Mascots that won an award Frist: Ozzie Osprey Second: Homer Brave Third: Stuff Mascot Click Here to view the Awards on our FB Page.

What an amazing round one and since there was no ties we are now announcing the final poll below. We wish all the mascots good luck one final time! And who will be the most favorite Mascot? We will soon find out! Thank you for voting and the amazing response this poll is now over another post showing the winner well be posted shortly. (Insert Poll Here)

A few days ago we asked you fans to help nominate your favorite mascots. After making the final count, here’s the results now begins round one of voting! Vote for one mascot of your choice in each category and be sure to choose wisely as you only have one chance to vote in each category. The top winning mascot in each poll will go on to a final round unless there’s a tie then we will create another poll to see who get’s to go to the finals. Good luck to all mascots again and have fun voting! UPDATE: What an amazing turnout for this poll. Voting in round one is now OVER please click view results to see if your mascots are going to round two. Thanks again for the amazing response and bring on round two AKA the final one! (Insert Polls Here)

It’s time for a battle of the favorite mascot! Starting today we are taking suggestions to add your favorite mascots in a poll to complete for most favorite mascot. After all nominations are complete we’ll post another poll where you’ll vote for your favorite mascot in each category and the one mascot that wins in each category will get to compete in a final poll to find out who’s the most favorite mascot! We want to wish them all good luck. The nominations are now over. Please stay tuned for the polls to begin!

In some breaking news according to Fox Sports the Suns Mascot was punched in the nose by a Heat fan. It’s unfortunate it happens to mascots and fan’s fell they have the right to do so! Mascot Abuse continues to happens and check out the whole story below. The Phoenix Suns‘ gorilla mascot was punched in the nose by a Miami Heat fan in an altercation that apparently all started when the primate was left hanging. The gorilla mascot, played by Robert Woolf, was at a promotional event at Tempe Marketplace in Arizona on Tuesday night when he said he tried to high-five a customer, myFOXphoenix.com reported Wednesday. But that customer, Timothy Austin, refused, saying he was a Miami Heat fan. That’s when the gorilla says he “playfully” kicked Austin, who reportedly reacted by punching the famous NBA mascot in the nose. Police were called, but after they explained to the men that both would be arrested and charged with assault, Woolf and Austin agreed not to press charges. The report brought to you by Fox Sports. Speaking of Mascot Abuse have you seen a new PSA staring Goldy Gopher check it out below.

On March 10th at the Lake Eloa Park I got to walk for Blitz The Seahawk once again. So if you are wondering why I’m doing this? I found out about three years about this performer named Blitz The Seahawk “Ryan Asdourian” has MS, it’s really a terrible disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. He decided to start a walking group called “Team Blitz” which originally started in Seattle, WA. He then expanded it to Orlando, FL and some other locations, I joined in on the Orlando walk last year and this year. What an amazing experience, it feels to walk for him to help find a cure for this disease. While I have yet to personally meet Blitz or the Performer and hope to one day do that. I’m very grateful as the CEO of MascotInsider to join in on this event and will continue to be on “Team Blitz” until a cure is found. It was another great successful walk and great job to all Team Blitz Orlando walkers and a big thank you to the wonderful walk manager for helping organize this great walk. And now that the Orlando walk is over “Go Team Blitz SEATTLE!!” Missed out on the Orlando walk? Have no fear you can join the Seattle walk that’s going to be loads of fun and features Blitz the Seahawk & more for more information visit Team Blitz website by clicking here. And watch the video below.

Greetings Fans, My name is Justin Jolley. I’m CEO of MascotInsider and helper of the Save Tampa Bay Lightning’s ThunderBug’s Job codenamed: Operation Save Thunder Bug. I wanted to personally thank all the people who signed the petition. Over 630 saw it and decided to stand up for the wonderful performer’s job and signed the petition. Sadly Tampa Bay Lightning has decided to not give us any type of response so we’ve decided it’s time to move on as we tried our hardest. MascotInsider is sad to see it’s possible Thunderbug won’t be the same as he was a few weeks ago! We hope in the future that Tampa Bay Lightning will hire a more professional performer and bring Thunderbug back to life! So what happens now? We will hand over a PDF format of all the signers to the Tampa Bay Lightning to show them how great of support Thunderbug had with its old performer. And we wish the best to the wonderful performer that worked for Tampa Bay Lightning- she will be missed! On behalf of the whole Operation Save ThunderBug crew and my thanks again for your support. It was a great opportunity to take on this project! Justin Jolley CEO of MascotInsider

For the second year Cartoon Network hosts Hall Of Game Awards. After 100 million votes S.J. Sharkie was chosen to win a game award for most awesome mascot as he competed against 3 other mascots (Jaxson DeVille, Slamson, and Slider). The whole MascotInsider staff congrats S.J. Sharkie on winning the award! Here’s an official quote from S.J. Sharkie “It was an honor and a privilege to represent my organization, players and fans at the 2012 hall of game awards. To be selected as one of the 4 best was amazing, and to win was the icing on the cake. I couldn’t have done it without all of you who voted for me, ” commented Sharkie from the press scrum backstage. “And to be the 1st hockey mascot ever nominated, and then to walk away with the 2012 title is a reflection of the work my 24 other mascots and I in the NHL put forth for the best fans in all of sport! I hope to be able to defend my Title in 2013. But for now, I will just focus on the Sharks push to the playoffs”. You can watch the Hall Of Game Awards tonight on Cartoon Network at 7pm to see S.J. Sharkie accepts his award and probably show off his awesome moves. Photo & Some information was attained from: S.J. Sharkie official website.

A few days ago MascotInsider helped start a protest called Save Tampa Bay Lightning’s ThunderBug’s Job. Since that protest started it gained national attention being featured from Tampa Bay Times to many local news networks and more it was amazing how much attention it gained and since then it’s gathered over 600 signers. So the question is what has Tampa bay lightning was regarding Thunderbug? Well.. NOTHING Thunderbug still appears in the game, but here’s the most interesting thing he’s doing nothing now. Many users on the protest page have said Thunderbug does nothing at the games and half the time he is not even seen. It looks like they have yet to hire a professional performer and the person that plays the current Thunderbug is basically a little underweight and unable to create the old look for Thunderbug. So with so many fans complaining, what’s going to happen? If this continues to where Thunderbug won’t do anything or gain interact with the fans, they will lose season ticket holders out of the deal. Many people even possibly will want to protest, the team and this means more sales will be lost to the team. So what can you do to help get Thunderbug back to life? Tell Tampa Bay Lighting you want the bug BACK by signing the protest listed here: http://www.change.org/petitions/tampa-bay-lightning-save-thunderbugs-performer-job this could help get the old performer’s job back. You can also have your voice heard by emailing the Mascot Program Director at: kcarlson@tampabaytimesforum.com. MascotInsider has not yet given up on this and we stand strong for this person’s job as we know what happened to her was completely wrong!

A few months ago we told you Stetson was looking for a new mascot and students had a chance to win a trip to Disney World if they won. Now he’s officially been released by the school and his name is John B and over 70 name submissions were made and that’s what the university chooses. Here’s a quote from the university: “Just like John B. Stetson himself, the new mascot captures the pioneer spirit of those daring individuals who founded the university and helped settle Florida more than 150 years ago. From the Stetson hat to the alligator boots, the new Hatter mascot embodies the history and spirit of Florida’s first private university.” Are you happy to see the new mascot for Stetson? We also plan to see him at Celebrity Mascot Games this year due to one of the days it’s hosted at that university and we’ll probably see him in Orlando, Fl version to. Some information attained by: Orlando Sentinel

Every year at ESPN World Wide Of Sports at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL is the famous UCA Mascot Competition and this year Aubie took the 2012 title. And also YouDee won the open division, we wanted to say congratulations to both mascots on their awesome skits as well as many other college mascots that attended. You may see all results below. 2012 College Cheerleading Championship Mascot Division IA 1 Auburn University – “Aubie” 2 University of Oklahoma – “Boomer” 3 Louisiana State University – “Mike” 4 University of Colorado – “Chip” 5 University of Minnesota – “Goldy Gopher” 6 University of Alabama – “Big AL” 7 University of Tennessee – “Smokey” 8 Michigan State University – “Sparty” 9 University of Southern Mississippi – “Seymour” 10 University of Iowa – “Herky the Hawk” 2012 College Cheerleading Championship Open Mascot 1 University of Delaware – “YoUDee” 2 Villanova University – “Will D. Cat” 3 Tennessee Tech University – “Awesome Eagle” 4 Arkansas State University – “Howl” 5 University of South Alabama – “SouthPaw” Click Here to view video for all mascots. Just click the Mascot 2012 tab to see all mascots entrees.

For the first time in the past two years, I’ve been attending the Celebrity Mascot Games. This year, I decided to volunteer for the event. I applied online to be a Mascot Escort and within a few weeks, I received an email stating that I had been selected to do the job! On Friday, July 30th, I parked in the Amway Center garage, I was very excited and a bit nervous. I go up to the ramp and go through the “Staff Members Only” entrance. It was cool to experience that. I met the nice check-in team and proceeded to check in with my job. I was then handed a sheet asking which mascot I would like. I was hoping that they would give me the choice, and of course I selected Ozzie from UNF! After a few minutes, we were taken to a nice small room where we could have food and drink before we got ready for training. Once that was complete, we were instructed to go to the elevator. We were shown where to put our mascots, it was pretty easy to remember. Once we were shown the location, we returned for a few minutes and got to look around. Then came the fun part; picking up our mascots and directing them to their table. As I walked down, I could clearly see Ozzie ready to go. I walked down and met him for the first time with a big hug! I was handed his trading cards and we went up the elevator and he took his seat. He started signing his cards and I left my post for a moment to get some pictures with Fin. When I got back to my post, tons of kids came out and Ozzie gave away his cards. I was shocked at how many children there were. Ozzie only got up once, but I remembered being told not to allow the mascot to get up, so I kindly asked him to sit down. Unfortunately, he was not too happy after that. Once the mascots time was complete, Ozzie came with me and I took him to the elevator. We had to fit 20 mascots and around 29 helpers into ONE elevator, let me just say that we all wanted to get out as quickly as possible. Ozzie pointed for some water so I grabbed him a bottle, after all, he earned it. I walked him to the locker room, said goodbye and wished him luck. I returned to the helper room, got some water for myself and got in position to where the mascots would enter. After a few minutes, the mascots came out and Fin saw me taking pictures. He came up for a close up, maybe too close, he almost ate my camera! I then saw Stephanie Leavins (Pre-Game entertainment). I was excited to see her and meet her. As many of you know, she is a wonderful singer and if you’ve ever heard her, I’m sure she gave you chills. I got to talk to her and then she had to go say hello to everyone else. Ozzie came up to me and asked for a little help. I gave him a little pep talk saying, “You know the Blue Team is going to win today!” and wished him luck. The Mascot Games officially started after Gina sang the National Anthem and all the mascots went to the floor once they were called. I enjoyed walking around a bit and meeting up with Stephanie Leavins again. I met her wonderful mother and got invited as her guest. I basically got to stay on the floor! It was amazing to be able to experience this for the first time. I thanked her so much for letting me join her. After the games were over, Blue team won, and I was happy. I’m pretty sure my pep talk to Ozzie worked! That ended my special day, I said goodbye to Stephanie Leavins and proudly left the Amway Center. Special note to Ozzie–You were a lot of fun to work for and I’m hoping next year I will be able to do the same if you attend. And to Stephanie again, it was great to meet you and finally great work of the Central Florida Sports Commission. Till next year, thanks for checking out Mascot Madness’ coverage of The Celebrity Mascot Games! I will look forward to next year!

This year’s Mascot, Game was amazing. There was a minor change, though due to it being held at the Amway Center. For the first time ever, Celebrity Mascot Games were hosted on July 29th-31st. Normally, it’s hosted on July 15th-17th. I must admit, it was a really wonderful week. I attended both days of the Celebrity Mascot Games. On Friday I had the opportunity to volunteer and help them out. On Saturday, I attended as a regular guest and enjoyed the games. I will be posting a separate review about Friday’s event. Let’s begin with the review. I arrived at the Amway Center around 11:50 PM EST to catch the fun events going on before the Mascot Games actually started. There were a lot of people promoting their service(s). Around 12:45 PM, people started lining up so I joined them. We got in around 1:05 PM and I quickly rushed up the stairs to go see Ozzie so I could have him sign my Volunteer T-Shirt. Afterwards, I went to check out my seat. Sadly, my seat was chosen for the green team; I’ve been supporting the Blue Team every year thus far. There’s not much I could do so I just accepted the seat. I’ve got to admit, though, they were great seats. I was really up close to the action, it was quite nice. Before the games officially started, I got the chance to say hello to the wonderful Stephanie Leavins and we talked for a few minutes. It was fun to hear her wonderful voice sing a great song, it gave me the chills. Once she was finished, the team intros played. Secretly, I was rooting for the Blue Team, but I still cheered for the Green Team too. Unfortunately, our team didn’t win too many challenges. The challenges were pretty tough this year; it was mixed up games, unlike last year. Who was this years half time entertainment, you might ask? Her name is Gina (Orlando Magic’s good luck charm), and boy did she sing her heart out. It was wonderful getting to hear her for the first time! We also learned more about a wonderful organization, New Hope For Kids, the reason why the Celebrity Mascot Games are here today. Every ticket bought goes to that amazing organization. After halftime was over, there was a new round introduced called “Military Madness”. It was basically what the military use. It involved two mascots having to climb a rock wall. It was neat to watch and get to see up close. In the end, the winner of Saturday’s game was (drum roll please……..) THE YELLOW TEAM!! I was shocked, I thought that the Blue Team would have won. Congratulations to yellow though! There you have it, another great year at the Celebrity Mascot Games. We have tons of photos and videos available, it’s posted below. Enjoy! Pictures: PICTURE TO RETURN SOON.. Videos: