Mariner Moose

The Mariner Moose serves as the Seattle Mariners’ mascot, an anthropomorphic moose that has been a fixture since 1990. He performs at home games in T-Mobile Park and also logs hundreds of off-field appearances annually, visiting hospitals, wedding receptions, and other community events.

Before the Moose, the Mariners had a short-lived mascot named “Spacey the Needle,” which won a 1979 contest inspired by the San Diego Chicken’s popularity. Spacey wore a Space Needle hat on stilts, but mobility problems forced his retirement after just a few games. That same year, the San Diego Chicken itself served as a temporary Mariners mascot for six games; during one appearance, future Mariners manager Lou Piniella, then a Yankee, threw his glove at the Chicken. A man in a diaper took second place in the 1979 contest.

In 1990, under owner Jeff Smulyan, the team held a new contest for children aged 14 and under. From 2,500 submissions, they selected the “Mariner Moose,” drawn by fifth-grader Ammon Spiller of Bellingham, Washington. Spiller and his school each received a $1,000 check. The runner-up, “Seaward the Sea Monster” by Grant Weaver of Redmond, earned a $500 consolation prize. Both finalists and their families got tickets to a Mariners game, as did three other finalists.

The Moose debuted at the home opener on April 13, 1990, dancing to “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades” in front of a sellout crowd at the Kingdome. Fans reacted poorly, chanting “Kill the Moose” throughout the game. The hostility lasted for the first two months of the season, and even a world record attempt on May 6 for the longest indoor flight failed to win them over.

At the Kingdome, the Moose often rollerbladed behind an ATV on the AstroTurf—a fan favorite until the team moved to T-Mobile Park (then Safeco Field) in 1999, where natural grass replaced the turf. Since then, the Moose drives an ATV along the warning track, performing tricks like having bullpen pitchers dump water coolers on him.

During the 1996 U.S. presidential election, Nike ran a TV ad campaign called “Griffey in ’96,” featuring Ken Griffey Jr. as a presidential candidate with the Moose as his running mate. In 1997, portrayer Brett Rhinehardt wrote a letter as the Moose opposing a ban on a 15-foot fiberglass moose in Mooresville, North Carolina.