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A mascot is character or a person that is usually believed to bring good luck to whatever it is associated with. They also play a role in getting the fans pumped up and get their complete support behind the players. Mascots are common in American Football and for large scale events like Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, which occur once every four years. The culture of club mascots has slowly found its way into European football and today many clubs, including a vast majority of the clubs in England have mascots of their own.Here is a look at the mascots of 8 leading clubs from Europe.
#1 Fred the Red Manchester United
Manchester United must have had some other lucky charm in addition to Sir Alex Ferguson during their successful premier league years and it has to be their mascot Fred the Red.
The mascot represents their club nickname ‘The Red Devils’. Fred the Red was adopted as Manchester United’s club mascot in 1994. He was the club’s first mascot since 1963 after Jack Irons, who was the mascot for around 15 years. Fred wears a shirt with the number 55 on it and usually dances in front of the crowd before matches. Fred was also voted as the most popular mascot in Match magazine in 2011.
Fred is famous for his dance to the song “Moves like Jagger” which he did once during the half-time break.
#2 Gunnersaurus Rex Arsenal FC
Arsenal are nicknamed the Gunners and the ‘saurus’ part was added to the name so that the club could have a dinosaur like mascot. The mascot was originally designed by Arsenal fan Peter Lovell in 1994 and Gunnersaurus made his footballing debut on 20th August 1994 against Manchester City,
The goofy green dino is often seen joining the team for warm-ups, psyching out opponents and celebrating victories. He was also present at Arsenal’s open top bus parade after their FA Cup win. Gunnersaurus makes regular visits to children’s hospitals and is also available for weddings.
#3 Stamford the Lion and Bridget the Lioness
Chelsea have not one, but two mascots. Their first Mascot was named Stamford – a lion and they introduced a second mascot named ‘Bridget’ prior to the start of the 2013-14 season. The Blues now have Stamford and Bridget cheering for them at Stamford Bridge before match days. Will the duo prove to be the lucky charm Jose Mourinho needs to finally win a Champions League title with Chelsea? We have to wait and see.
Stamford is already a popular figure with the fans and can be found shaking hands and taking pictures with fans before kick-off. The mascots have even travelled with the team on their pre-season tours.
#4 Moonchester and Moonbeam Manchester City
The current Premier League champions also have two mascots namely Moonchester (male) and Moonbeam (female). The couple are alien mascots and are named after their home planet ‘Blue Moon’ which is also the club’s unofficial club anthem.
They can be spotted in the family section of the stadium signing autographs on match days. They have also done a 60 m sprint for Sports Relief in 2010 in front of fans and players.
They have seen some controversy too, as in 2012, Manchester City were criticized for charging the teenage cancer trust £40 for Moonchester’s attendance at a charity football match.
#5 Chirpy Cockerel Tottenham Hotspur
The Spurs mascot is the Chirpy Cockerel. The traditional emblem of Spurs, the Peacock was chosen because the founder Harry Hotspur used to have fighting cocks. The cockerels were first made a part of the club emblem in 1901 and the Spurs emblem has been modified several times to include a leaner and stronger looking cockerel with the most recent update made in 2006.
Chirpy joins the team on pre-season tours and has also featured in the mail online Mascot Derby, which involves a number of mascots taking part in a series of athletic obstacles. Chirpy was also recently challenged by Arsenal’s mascot for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
#6 Mighty Red Liverpool FC
Liverpool adopted their mascot in 2012 and named it “Mighty Red”. The owners of Liverpool are Americans and hence there is no surprise that they wanted a mascot for their football club.
The character is loosely based on the Liver Bird, which is a symbol of the city and can be seen on the club badge. The character was made in a bid to appeal to the younger fans and it looks like the Mighty Red will not make a pitch side appearance on a match day but will continue to appear in Liverpool’s community work.
The last time a club mascot was used on Merseyside, it was by Everton in 1990s and it did not go well with the fans and the idea was dropped after just one season.
#7 Emma Borussia Dortmund
Emma is as crazy and naughty as the club’s manager Jurgen Klopp. The bumblebee is the mascot for German club Borussia Dortmund and is a fan favourite. Emma is usually on the pitch before kick-off cheering the Dortmund fans on.
The bee is famous for its actions to infuriate Bayern Munich fans. Emma once walked into a Bayern Munich store carrying two adrenaline packs and strolled around the store to the surprise of Bayern fans and the store owners. The bee even posed for a photo pretending to be taking a leak on the Bayern Munich team bus after Borussia Dortmund’s DFB-Pokal final win over Bayern Munich in 2012.
#8 Bart Simpson Zenit St. Petersburg
When clubs around Europe were busy concluding deals for players on transfer deadline day, Russian club Zenit announced the signing of their new player/mascot – Bart Simpson! Zenit had reached an agreement with 20th Century Fox for the services of Bart.
Zenit posted pictures on their official website showing Bart undergoing a medical at the club, signing a contract and shaking hands with manager Andres Villas Boas.
Bart has been assigned the number 87 by Zenit symbolizing the year 1987 in which he made his first TV appearance. Zenit also have another club mascot, a blue and white lion and the mischievous Bart will have to get along well with the lion.
