That Balls Outta Here
FanSided

The Phillies’ first mascot was an absolute nightmare

By Gabrielle Starr

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 30: The Phillie Phanatic performs before a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on May 30, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Nationals won 4-3. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 30: The Phillie Phanatic performs before a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on May 30, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Nationals won 4-3. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /
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Twitter user reveals horrifying original Phillies mascot

The Philadelphia Phillies have been around for a very long time.

They’re older than the Brooklyn Bridge, which opened May 24, 1883, and played their first season when Chester A. Arthur was president. It would be decades before William Howard Taft became the first president to throw out the first pitch at a baseball game in 1910.

The Phillies will play their 140th season in 2022, and as one of the oldest franchises, and the oldest same-name, same-city franchise not just in Major League Baseball, but in American professional sports, they’ve had plenty of time to make some questionable decisions. On Wednesday, a Twitter user decided to horrify the world by sharing a photo of the Phillies’ first mascot:

Thanks for the nightmares, Phillies.

While I’d love to go back in time to see some of baseball’s greatest games, you couldn’t pay me to be in the same ballpark as the Dancing Dutchman and Chauncey. And it seems the Phillies would like to forget that their original pair of mascots existed, as there is almost zero evidence of them on the internet.

Almost a century after this horror show, the Phillies introduced Philadelphia Phil and Phillis, a mascot duo dressed in American Revolution-style costumes to play on Philadelphia’s part in the founding of the nation. They stuck around from 1971-79, and made a cameo for the final game at Veterans Stadium in 2003.

All I can say is, thank God for the Phanatic.

The Phanatic was “born” in 1978, partially inspired by the San Diego Chicken, who had become a Padres’ staple earlier in the decade. The fluffy green agent of chaos has been voted ‘Most Obnoxious Mascot‘ in the league and been sued more than any other mascot. He’s gotten into fights with MLB legends like Tommy Lasorda and danced with Paula Abdul. Bryce Harper wears cleats with his mascot’s face on them, and Jean Segura rides around on his ATV.

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