New Seattle Kraken mascot will take some getting used to
Oct 3, 2022, 2:38 PM | Updated: Oct 4, 2022, 12:49 pm
Many hockey fans expected an octopus or a squid-like creature. But what they got was… a troll?!
And the jury is out.
On the Gee and Ursula Show, hosts Gee and Ursula discussed the things they liked and disliked about the new mascot.
“When I first saw that thing, I thought this couldn’t be uglier. It is so hideous that it suddenly became cute,” Gee said. “I now find it to be adorable. Like someone’s baby.”
So here’s the deal, Buoy, as “it” is called, is the result of much fan research. It’s meant to roam around the arena and entertain fans.
“When I went to games at KeyArena with my son, I would sit as far away from the mascots as possible,” Gee exclaimed. “He was terrified. When we went to the Puyallup Fair a thing came out that looked like a big inflatable pillow and my son punched it.”
Kraken staff are hoping no one sees the need to punch Buoy. They say it’s a sea troll partly inspired by the famous Fremont Troll sculpture in Seattle. Buoy debuted before the Kraken played the Vancouver Canucks in a preseason game at Climate Pledge Arena.
“There’s a period of time when you think the mascots are so cute, but the kids are truly terrified,” Gee said. “But, I do think a team needs a mascot because with constant player turnover, you have to have one thing that kids can identify with from all their years growing up. The Mariners moose is the same at age 6 and age 18. There’s an interchangeable human inside the suit, but what we see is the mascot.”
Love him or not, Buoy will soon appear in spots all over town.
“He lives under the arena,” said Katie Townsend, Kraken chief marketing officer on NHL.com. “His favorite meal is a piece of shark with a sprig of maple leaf, and he is very much a music guy, and so I think we’ll see lots of dancing, beatbox and grunge inspired by the music scene in Seattle.”
“So I love this new Kraken mascot. It’s very cute,” Gee exclaimed.
“That’s what I said!” Ursula seconded.
You can listen to the full discussion here:
Listen to Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin weekday mornings from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.
