Good afternoon,
It may have been the craziness of the Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearings, Bill Cosby heading to prison or the epic collapse of the Phillies. Whatever the case, the Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty proved to be an unlikely hit despite an underwhelming first impression.
More than a few Facebook posts quickly condemned the bearded mascot as we learned that he or it is the work of Raymond Entertainment, a company owned by former Phillie Phanatic Dave Raymond. (The shag carpet look of the Phanatic provided a clue).
First impressions on social media posts unkindly mentioned drug-addled residents of tough Philadelphia neighborhoods. A backstory quickly was trotted out by the Flyers about Gritty growing up as the son of a bully and living within the innards of the Wells Fargo Center
Raymond is the son of the late Tubby Raymond, the legendary University of Delaware football coach. Raymond’s business is on the other side of the state line in West Grove, PA and has developed dozens of college and minor league mascots.
In spite of rolling out a character that might look more authentic with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, Raymond and the Flyers found that Gritty’s rocky debut generated buzz as the week wore on, WHYY reported.
It did not hurt that the mascot got a booking on the Tonight Show, which has Philadelphia roots in the form of its house band of the same name.
It also became clear in a preseason game that Gritty has some athletic skills.
The publicity provided a boost to a Flyers team not known for dynamic personalities.
Well done, Dave. You managed to give us a mascot for our times. – Doug Rainey, publisher.
