Mascot Hall of Fame
What's up guys and gals! It's your favorite sports traveler, Mark Darden with a new blog. Today's post will be somewhat of a throwback as I recall my visit to the Mascot Hall of Fame in November 2019. I will also provide some background information for those of you who may have not known that a hall of fame dedicated to mascots existed.
History
The Mascot Hall of Fame was founded David Raymond, who was the original Phillie Phanatic, in 2005. As an online-only hall, the inaugural Hall of Fame class included the Phillie Phanatic (Philadelphia Phillies, MLB), the Phoenix Suns' Gorilla, and the San Diego Chicken (San Diego Padres, MLB). Other Hall of Famers include Brutus Buckeye (THE Ohio State University, Big Ten) , Mr. Met (New York Mets, MLB), Benny the Bull (Chicago Bulls, NBA), and Slider (Cleveland Indians, MLB). After a few years of being an online-only hall, in 2013, Raymond began to explore the possibility of a physical Hall of Fame. After settling on Whiting, Indiana as the location for the Hall of Fame, construction began in 2016 and was completed by December 2018. On April 6, 2019, the Mascot Hall of Fame had its official grand opening ceremony.
Where is the Mascot Hall of Fame located?
The Mascot Hall of Fane is located at 1851 Front Street, Whiting, Indiana, about 30 minutes from Downtown Chicago.
Why Whiting, Indiana?
The small town on Lake Michigan has a fun-loving, whimsical charm that attracts visitors from around the world. The annual Pierogi Fest attracts over 300,000 people over the course of a weekend and it's by national and international media outlets. Even Disney recognized Whiting's whimsy charm as Mickey and Minnie Mouse served as Honorary Parade Grand Marshals during Whiting's 125th anniversary celebration in 2014.
My time at the Mascot Hall of Fame began outside. I noticed a Mascot University van with various mascots such as Slider, Mr. Met, Tommy Hawk and Reggy, the official mascot of the Hall of Fame. Once inside, I quickly realized that this was a place catered towards little kids with the interactive exhibits.
In the main hall, hanging from the ceiling are balloon heads of the Hall of Famers. I spotted two of my favorite mascots, Brutus Buckeye and Slider, fairly quickly. Making my way to the second floor, I stopped by the actual Hall of Fame where the inductees are enshrined. All of the inductees had an informational placard that had the brith year, species, team, league, and year inducted into the Hall of Fame.
While passing parody movie posters featuring mascots, I made my way to some of the interactive exhibits such as “Be A Klutz” and “What Does It Weigh?”. “Be A Klutz” allows visitors to experience what it is like to have hands like a mascot. Usually, mascots have four fingers and that makes grabbing objects somewhat cumbersome. “What Does It Weigh?” allows you to wear two different mascot heads and experience the weight difference between the two heads. I must admit that it is difficult being a mascot considering the weight of the mascot's head and body, the four-finger hands, and the ability to entertain night in and night out.
After experiencing what its like to be a mascot, I walked over to the Mascot Moments area of the Hall and saw different artifacts from various mascots. On loan from the Houston Rockets was their mascot, Clutch, situated front and center. Behind glass enclosures were various mementos, such as the The Oriole Bird's tail, Slider's head, Phillie Phanatic shoes, Benny the Bull's jersey, and MoonDog's (Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA) head.
My next stop was the Centuries of Silliness room where guests will learn about the history of mascot from the 1500's to the present. There have been various mascots from goats, dogs, and batboys over the years. I also found out that there has been a mascot that switched sports. 2020 Mascot Hall of Fame Inductee, Youppi! is the only mascot to perform in two different sports leagues. Being the Montreal Expos' mascot from 1979 to 2004, Youppi! joined the Montreal Canadiens in 2005 after the Expos moved to Washington, D.C.
My final stops at the Mascot Hall of Fame were Dr. Frankenstein's Mascots where young guests have to put mascots back together properly, Silder's video kiosk where I learned more about the Cleveland Indians’ beloved mascot, and Build-A-Mascot workshop where you can design you very own mascot.
The Mascot Hall of Fame is great place to bring kids and learn more about the history of mascots. With numerous interactive exhibits and games, kids will sure be entertained for hours and hours. Since I'm a big kid at heart, I intend on returning to the Hall in June for the 2020 Mascot Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. This year's inductees include Youppi! (Montreal Canadiens, NHL), Boomer (Indiana Pacers, NBA), The Oriole Bird (Baltimore Orioles, MLB), and Blue (Indianapolis Colts, NFL). Thanks for reading!
For more information, visit mascothalloffame.com
