David Raymond understands the importance of mascots as organizational brands in sports and other businesses, as well as the power they hold.
It’s a rare day when sports fans aren’t treated to a fuzzy, furry, loud-colored, high-energy character decked out in team gear and adding to the fun experience, be it at a Friday night high school basketball game, a college football game, or a weeknight at the ballpark in your favorite MLB or minor league city.
Mascotting isn’t easy. Like with any successful business, there is a science to it. Nobody knows the ins and outs of developing and introducing a mascot brand better than Raymond does.
He got his first taste of listing his occupation as “mascot” in 1978 when he was employed by the Philadelphia Phillies as a marketing and promotions rookie. With no warning, the club made Raymond an offer he couldn’t refuse. This changed his life and was the catalyst to accelerate the growth of an industry far beyond the marketing ideas at the time.
At Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, management suggested that Raymond wiggle his way into a green, furry, bird-like costume, complete with a red extendable tongue, and go out and make some fun with the fans. From the 1978 season through the final pitch thrown of the 1993 season, Raymond was the Phillie Phanatic.
In the off-season, his appearances on behalf of the ball club keep baseball memories alive for fans through the winter months. A look at the Phanatic was a look at Phillies baseball. No sports club brand, then or now, has equaled that of the Phanatic.
Ever since he learned the mascot business on the fly, creating characters and turning their notoriety into financial (and otherwise) success has been Raymond’s life business. Now in his late 60s, Raymond is self-employed. He’s a one-man fun factory, minus a microphone (mascots never speak). The business of fun, and helping companies and school programs use branding for a specific vision, is what Raymond has ruled for more than 40 years.
“It is always driven by money,” Raymond told The Epoch Times. “[Mascots] are something to drive revenue. They are also there to create an emotional connection. Great mascots start with a story based on the organization.”
Raymond methodically works with clients to birth a mascot tailored specifically for them. When meeting with a business, his company Raymond Entertainment Group has the mission to make that business’s message memorable. Making the team, college, or company better than the competition is first and foremost.
“Gapper,” the MLB Cincinnati Reds’ mascot, and “Gritty,” the NHL Philadelphia Flyers’, are two of the many characters created by Raymond. It takes the unusual combination of a sense of humor and the seriousness of big business, combined with Raymond’s vision through research, to offer a successful mascot plan.
Telling the story of a community college or a four-year university through a mascot is a time-tested and successful recipe, Raymond has found.
“Let’s get your authentic story told,” said Raymond, who is the son of the legendary University of Delaware football coach Tubby Raymond. “Creating one’s own character, an ambassador, is important. Mascots have been around for a long time. In business there’s Tony the Tiger, Pillsbury Doughboy; with insurance there’s Geico’s Gecko. Characters do more than act silly. People need to be distracted from their problems. Fun and silliness are important tools to overcome misery.”
Be it in stadiums, arenas, or hospitals, generating joyful celebrations is what Raymond zeroes in on. When performers get into their costumes and bring them to life, fun almost certainly happens.
When he’s not sewing, gluing, or taping textiles to bring life to an animated character, Raymond is on the road speaking about mascots and the potential powers they offer. His commitment to understanding and sharing what it means to be a leader, possessing an entrepreneurial spirit for others to take slices from, drives Raymond’s creativity even more than what he pieces together in his home office.
Raymond challenges the idea that mascots do “just clown stuff.”
“When I get onstage, I feel my audiences already have being a mascot in their heart and soul,” he said.
By creating a costume from scratch, Raymond does a deep dive to make an existing brand more exciting. Of his business, 80 percent is sports oriented and 15–20 percent is corporate oriented. In the mascot world, according to Raymond, his character creations haven’t experienced many failures.
He doesn’t create alone. There are dozens of vendors and team members to reach out to for the final product’s wardrobe and artist suggestions. Raymond often begins a project through a handshake with a client, and from start to finish he makes sure the connection created runs smoothly.
After the “sale,” Raymond remains close to his client and mascot creation. He has a training program for the performers who wear the costumes. There’s also a “mascot doctor’s” service available, where Raymond cleans and repairs costumes he created or those not from his shop.
His work has not gone unnoticed by those who aren’t looking for a brand touch-up. In 2024, Raymond was the recipient of the Siegfried Award, which recognized him for his entrepreneurial leadership excellence. Empowering the lives of others through fun is Raymond’s mantra.
In bright colors, yards of felt, and furry materials, mascots remain important and highly visible representatives of brand power—thanks to their pioneer David Raymond.
