Dandy (mascot)

Did You Know?

• Wayde Harrison and Bonnie Erickson of Acme Mascots, who created the Phillie Phanatic in 1978, developed Dandy.
• During a meeting with George Steinbrenner, he and Bonnie Erickson argued over the shade of blue to use.

Release and reception

Dandy made its first appearance in late July 1979, just a few weeks after a July 10 incident in Seattle. During that game, the San Diego Chicken, working for the Mariners, placed a hex on Yankees pitcher Ron Guidry. Yankees outfielder Lou Piniella chased the mascot and threw his glove at him. George Steinbrenner then declared that mascots had no place in baseball, even though Dandy was about to be released. Organist Eddie Layton wrote a song for Dandy, but it was never performed. The mascot was restricted to the upper deck of Yankee Stadium. Following the lease's end, Harrison and Erickson refused to renew it, believing management had not given Dandy enough support.

Aftermath

When Harrison and Erickson got Dandy back, they fed him into an industrial shredder. The creators called it “a terrible thing to have to do.” The Yankees also tried mascots shaped like ballpark food with Yankees caps in the mid-1990s. Aside from those two experiments, the team has never had an official mascot or cheerleading squad roaming the stands.

Unofficial mascots include a squirrel spotted on the right field foul pole in late 2007. Teddy Kider of The New York Times nicknamed it “Right Field Ratatosk,” but fans called it “Scooter” after the late Yankees shortstop Phil Rizzuto. Another unofficial mascot was Bronxie the Turtle, a team pet adopted at Nestor Cortés Jr.’s request in fall 2021. George Steinbrenner approved Dandy but claimed in 1998 he had “no recollection” of it.

Yankees vice president Joseph M. Perello and general counsel Lonn Trost did not know the team ever had a mascot. In summer 2023, the Yankees put a miniature prototype of Dandy on display in their museum at Yankee Stadium. Museum curator Brian Richards said the staff got special permission from the team. It was the first time the Yankees publicly acknowledged their failed mascot since 1981.