Hugo is the name given to the National Basketball Association's New Orleans Hornets mascot, formerly the mascot of the Charlotte Hornets prior to the relocation to New Orleans. Designed by Cheryl Henson, daughter of Jim Henson, Hugo the Hornet was created in 1988, one year before Hurricane Hugo hit the Carolinas.[1]
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The Hugo moniker was selected from a pool of more than 6,000 fan suggestions, and was inaugurated as part of the Hornets first season.[1] In the aftermath of the damage resulting from Hurricane Hugo in September 1989, the Hornets announced that the Hugo moniker would remain, and the mascot's name would not be changed to Hoser or Hank.[2]
During the break between the first and second quarters in Game 1 of the 2008 Western Conference Playoff series between the Hornets and the San Antonio Spurs, Hugo jumped off of a trampoline, through a ring of fire, and dunked a basketball. Afterwards, the New Orleans Arena crew responsible for cleaning up after the stunt used the wrong fire extinguisher and could not put out the fire. Eventually the arena filled with smoke, and the floor became covered with slippery chemicals which proved difficult to remove from the playing surface. It took a 19-minute delay to finally make the arena floor suitable for play again; NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson canceled the halftime show in response. Later, Jackson would fine the Hornets organization for the mishap. During the halftime show, Charles Barkley dared Hugo to do the act after the 3rd quarter, calling him gutless if he did not do it.[3] Barkley continued calling out Hugo throughout the night and in the next game.
Hugo is a 3-time winner of the NBA Mascot Slam Dunk Championship. Hugo is also a 2-time winner of the NBA Best Mascot Award by NBA Inside Stuff Magazine, a magazine that he has been featured in on numerous occasions. In addition, Hugo has also been featured in such foreign magazines as New Sports and 5 Majeur.
Hugo, as well as three other NBA mascots, appears as a hidden player in the 1994 video game NBA Jam Tournament Edition.
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