Phillies Phanatic

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

During the winter after the 1976 season, the Phillies' Marketing Director Dennis Lehman and Promotions Director Frank Sullivan thought the team needed a mascot similar to the Padres' San Diego Chicken and created the Phanatic in partnership with Harrison/Erickson, the design company of Wayde Harrison and Bonnie Erickson. Erickson had previously designed Miss Piggy and Statler and Waldorf for Jim Henson's Muppets. Instead of a number on the back of his jersey, he wears a star and was named for the fanatical fans of the team. According to Bill Giles, the Phanatic was created to attract more families to the Phillies' home, Veterans Stadium. The Phanatic replaced 'Philadelphia Phil' and 'Philadelphia Phillis', a pair of siblings dressed in 18th-century garb to invoke the city's revolutionary spirit from 1776. The pair were in the team logo from 1976 through 1978, and were part of the team's 'Home Run Spectacular' at The Vet from 1971 through 1979. They reappeared with their replacement as the Phillies celebrated their final year at Veterans Stadium in 2003, including opening day and the final game. The Phanatic debuted on April 25, 1978, at The Vet, when the Phils played the Chicago Cubs. He was formally introduced to the public on the locally produced children's show Captain Noah and His Magical Ark by then-Phillies player Tim McCarver, who was doing promotional work for the team. In his book Pouring Six Beers at a Time, Giles wrote of the worst decision of his life when it came to the creation of the Phanatic. The design would cost $5,200 for both the costume and the copyright ownership, or $3,900 just for the costume with Harrison/Erickson retaining the copyright. Giles chose to just buy the costume. Five years later, when Giles and his group of investors bought the team from Ruly Carpenter, the franchise paid $250,000 to Harrison/Erickson for the assignment of the copyright.

In Their Own Story

On a September day in 1982, Cardinals outfielder Lonnie Smith tackled the Phanatic mid-game after growing frustrated with the mascot's taunts. Similarly, Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda assaulted the creature in 1988 during a nationally televised game after the Phanatic stomped on a dummy of his uniform. In 2004, the Phanatic's head went missing during a charity auction until Bernard Bechtel was arrested for bringing it to a radio station. The mascot has also been 'dyed' red multiple times for the 'Paint the Town Red' promotion, including raising over $4,000 in 2007 for smoke alarms at a Philadelphia Fire Department station. His favorite umpire was Eric Gregg, who often danced with him between innings. Opposing players frequently steal his ATV keys in retaliation for his antics, such as dancing provocatively in front of their dugouts or smashing batting helmets.

Reader's Guide

The Phanatic rides around on an ATV. During games, the Phanatic wanders the stadium, greeting fans and humorously mocking supporters of the opposition. The Phanatic performs a number of regular routines on the field before the game and between innings. Some of these routines are: taunting the visiting team by dancing provocatively in front of their dugout, mocking the actions of their players, and smashing or stomping on an object, such as a batting helmet, representing the team; standing on the roof of the Phillies dugout between halves of the seventh inning for 'The Phanatic Dance' and remaining on the dugout roof for the home half of the inning to 'hex' the opposing pitcher; warming up in the bullpen; shooting hot dogs into the stands using a pneumatic gun attached to his ATV; visiting the various broadcast booths and committing various pranks on the broadcasters such as pouring popcorn or spraying Silly String on them, or serving them Philly cheesesteaks; buffing the heads of any bald fans who happen to be sitting near him in the stands. His mother, Phoebe Phanatic, occasionally appears on-field with the Phanatic. He also has a younger cousin Phred, and a girlfriend Phiona who are rarely seen. According to the Phanatic's official biography, his birthplace is the Galápagos Islands. In 2015, the Phillies introduced four inflatable mascots that act as sidekicks to the Phanatic. Known as the 'Galápagos Gang', the mascots include Sid the Sea Lion, Bessie the Blue-footed Booby, Calvin the Giant Tortoise, and Iggy the Iguana. The Phanatic's favorite umpire was the late Eric Gregg, a Philadelphia native, and he would greet him enthusiastically on the field when Gregg was in charge. Gregg would often play along with the Phanatic between innings, sometimes dancing with him or otherwise participating in his routines. One week before the Phillies had their 2006 opener, the Phanatic was 'dyed' red as part of the team's week-long promotion to 'Paint the Town Red'. He was 'dipped into a special paint' made by a team sponsor MAB Paints (now Sherwin-Williams) and changed from green to red. He returned to his regular color in time for the season opener for that year. This was repeated for the 2007 season, as he became red at a Philadelphia Fire Department station to help raise funds for smoke alarms in Philadelphia, raising over $4,000. 'Paint the Town Red Week' has been

Did You Know?

• The Phanatic was originally portrayed by David Raymond, who had a summer internship with the team in 1976 and returned in 1977. He portrayed the mascot from 1978 until 1993. Since 1993, Tom Burgoyne has portrayed the Pha
• A major change occurred in the Phanatic's portrayal because Raymond is left-handed while Burgoyne is right-handed – despite Raymond's desire that his replacement be left-handed.
• On August 2, 2019, the Phillies filed a lawsuit against the Phanatic creators for exercising their rights to renegotiate the 1984 licensing assignment according to copyright law. In response, in 2020, the Phillies unveil
• The Phanatic's head disappeared during the Phillies' 'Final Pieces' charity sale and auction in 2004. Tom Burgoyne had taken off the costume for a break and found the head missing when he returned. One week later, someon
• In the 1970s, the Philadelphia Inquirer had a daily comic strip showing the adventures of the Phanatic. The Phanatic appeared on the television series Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? in the episode 'Phind that Pha