DU Student To Attend "Mascot Boot Camp"

DU student Scott Fuson will attend the Raymond Entertainment Group's Mascot Boot Camp at Kutztown State University in Pennsylvania on March 25-27. Plane tickets, ground transportation, hotel and camp fees are being funded by our alumni donors and hockey fans.

The purpose of the camp is to turn our Pioneer Mascot into a "character." Bart Simpson, Kermit, Mickey Mouse, Carrot Top, Pillsbury Dough Boy or Tony the Tiger are iconic characters that hold enormous value with their fans, customers and organizations.

The camp is run by Dave Raymond who was the original Phillie Phantic, a "pioneer" in the sports mascot industry.

Raymond stepped into the Phillie Phanatic costume as a Phillies intern in 1978. The team paid him $25 a game to perform and, without fanfare or introduction, entertain the notorious Philadelphia fans. Philadelphia fans are so jaded they once threw snowballs at a young man wearing a Santa suit at an Eagles game in 1968.

The Phillie Phanatic became a Philadelphia icon, won over the hardened fanbase and is one of the country's most recognized mascots. Raymond spent 16 years silently bringing the costume to life.

Almost by accident, the Phillie Phanatic, like the San Diego Chicken starting in 1974, helped sports marketers realize that a mascot could be more than a diversion during lulls in a game, but an attraction in itself. Most colleges and professional teams have since adopted costumed mascots to patrol the stands and make community appearances.