The Phillie Phanatic has been the official mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies since April 25, 1978. He is pear-shaped, green, and furry with a cylindrical beak. He wears a Phillies jersey, stocking, and over-sized tennis shoes. Phillie Phanatic entertains and visits with fans at the ballpark and rides around on his ATV between innings. When he is not at the ballpark, Phillie Phanatic is active doing good work in the Philadelphia area. Phillie was named “Phanatic” in honor of the fanatical fans of the Phillies baseball team.
With his huge green shape and affable manner, Phillie Phanatic is one of the most recognizable mascots in professional sports. He is the only mascot to have had his own comic strip when the Philadelphia Inquirer ran one showing the daily adventures of the Phanatic. In addition, he was featured on the David Letterman show, has had bit parts in several movies and TV shows, and appears in the closing credits of the movie “Rocky Balboa.”
Phillie Phanatic’s on-field antics are legendary. One of the on-going gags is that Phillie taunts opposing players during the pre-game warmup and they steal and hide his ATV keys in retaliation.
A standard routine is when he does “The Phanatic Dance” on the roof of the Phillies Dugout during the 7th inning stretch and then remains on the dugout roof during the bottom of the inning as a way to “hex” the opposing pitcher.
Other activities include a warmup session in the bullpen, using a pneumatic gun to shoot hotdogs into the stands, and visiting the broadcast booth to pour popcorn over the broadcasters’ heads.
And, many a bald-headed man has had his head “buffed” by a passing Phillie Phanatic. He is a bit more reserved when his mother, Phoebe Phanatic, visits the ballpark, but not by very much.
One of the times when the Phanatic was out of uniform was when he imitated the movie character and fictional Philadelphia native, Rocky Balboa.