Squatch
Squatch (a derivation of Sasquatch) was the team mascot for the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association. Between his 1993 debut and the team's relocation in 2008 to Oklahoma City, Squatch appeared at more than 175 events annually, and was with the organization during their run to the 1996 NBA Finals.[1]
In 2007, Chris Ballew of the rock band Presidents of the United States of America wrote and performed a song about the mascot.[2] That same year, Squatch attempted to set a world record with a jump of 30 feet on inline skates, over vehicles owned by NBA players Ray Allen and Robert Swift.[3]
The biography of the Edmonton Rush Lacrosse Club's yeti mascot, Slush, describes a history wherein the two characters grew up together in the Cascade Mountains. Squatch appeared during the Rush's inaugural game to "teach" Slush how to be a professional mascot.
Following the move of the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma the character was retired, and remains part of the intellectual property (name, colors, et cetera) that the City of Seattle retained as part of the KeyArena lease settlement. The character's performer from 1999-2008 remains under contract with the relocated team.[4]
References
- ↑ SONICS: Sonics Celebrate Squatch’s Birthday Sunday
- ↑ YouTube - Chris Ballew - Theme from S.Q.U.A.T.C.H. Song
- ↑ SONICS: Squatch Attempts to Set Guiness World Record
- ↑ Lewis, Mike (July 27, 2008), "Post-Sonics, the inner Squatch abides", The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- Squatch, The Sonics Mascot at the Seattle SuperSonics official website
- Slush's webpage on the Edmonton Rush Official Website
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