The Philadelphia Flyers’ odd-looking new mascot isn’t receiving the love the team may have hoped for when they revealed him on Monday.
Gritty was excitedly unveiled yesterday on the team’s social media accounts as the first mascot they have ever had.
He is 7ft tall, has fuzzy orange hair, googly eyes and a wide, permanently fixed smile.
Gritty is the Philadelphia Flyers’ new mascot. He was unveiled on Monday ahead of their game against the Boston Bruins but has had mixed reviews since making his debut
Twitter critics were quick to mock Gritty’s appearance after the big reveal on Monday
His confronting appearance sent Twitter into overdrive with many likening him to a horror movie character.
It didn’t get better when, during Monday night’s game, he struggled to stay on his feet on the ice and started shooting people with a t-shirt gun at point blank range.
Critics blasted Gritty’s ‘creepy’ look and said he had the ‘worst name ever.’
Others said he looked like a drug addict and would scare children away at games.
Even the Upper Darby Police department got in on the ridicule with their own post
Some tried to compare him to other, flame-haired figures including Ed Sheeran and the Frank Beard of the band ZZ.
‘His eyes would pop BACK in his head. Maybe he won’t look so scary looking,’ said one person.
‘Looks like he needs to go to rehab,’ remarked another.
One person said he looked like the love child of the ‘abominable snowman and heat miser’.
On Monday night, Gritty struggled to stay on his feet on the ice as he swirled around shooting people with his t-shirt gun. Later, he shared a Kim Kardashian-inspired portrait on Twitter as he signed off for the night
Another said he ‘comes complete with soulless eyes that yearn for the sweet release of death.’
Even the Upper Darby Police Department joined in on the ridicule.
‘Ladies and gentleman, the Flyers proudly present Gritty. Because Gary Busey was not available,’ they wrote.
The Flyers have never before had their own mascot. The Phantoms’ mascot Phlex previously appeared at their games.
Unfortunately, Gritty’s charms did nothing to boost the Flyers’ performance on Monday. They lost to the Boston Bruins 4-3.
As Gritty failed to boost the team’s performance on the ice, the Twitter insults continued