Youppi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Youppi, or Youppi! (Yippee! or Hooray! in French) is the official mascot for the Montreal Canadiens and longtime mascot of the now-defunct Montreal Expos.
[edit] History
Youppi!, a creation of Acme Mascot Company (formerly Harrison-Erickson) and Expos vice-president Roger D. Landry, was the mascot for the Montreal Expos baseball team from 1979 until the team moved to Washington, DC after the 2004 season. He was originally a muppet figure, designed with the help of Jim Henson. The orange, hairy giant was one of the most popular figures among kids at Olympic Stadium, where he was often seen running around with his arms waving wildly during baseball games.
Youppi! was the first mascot to be thrown out of a Major League Baseball game. On August 23, 1989, he was ejected in the 11th inning after Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda complained to the umpires about his dancing on top of the visitors' dugout. Youppi! was also a frequent joke punchline of notoriously sarcastic Atlanta Braves broadcaster Skip Caray.
Youppi! is often referred to as one of only three mascots inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The others are the Phillie Phanatic of Philadelphia and the Famous Chicken from San Diego. Although their likenesses can be found in the displays in Cooperstown, their inductions to the Hall of Fame are not considered "official".
After the Expos moved to the District of Columbia and became the Washington Nationals, the team claimed that Youppi! would still be a part of the team in some capacity. However, this proved untrue, as the Nationals adopted a new mascot, the eagle "Screech". For months after the move, the fate of Youppi! hung in the balance, with many believing that Youppi! would remain in Montreal as the mascot for one of its other two major-league teams, the NHL's Canadiens or the CFL's Alouettes. Indeed, on September 16, 2005, the Montreal Canadiens announced that Youppi! had been named the first official mascot of the organization, and the first league-switching mascot in professional sports history. Youppi! is still orange but now sports the Canadiens' bleu, blanc et rouge (blue, white, and red) jersey when working. Terms of the deal between the Expos and the Canadiens were not disclosed but one report said negotiations involved six figures.
