The Philadelphia 76ers introduced their new mascot, Franklin, on Tuesday.
Named after Benjamin Franklin, Franklin is a blue dog targeted for kids.
Grantland’s Zach Lowe broke the news about Franklin on Monday.
The Sixers consulted several experts, including Dave Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic, but they handed most of the creative duties to 1,000 kids ages 6 to 10 in the Delaware Valley, says Tim McDermott, the team’s chief marketing officer. The team’s research showed that most fans become fans within that age range, and so the Sixers decided to build a mascot kids that age would like.
Team officials met with the kids in groups and started by showing them about 40 designs to get a sense of the cohort’s general tastes. Some of those designs were already in existence — actual mascots, superheroes, and other known characters, McDermott says. Some were original renderings. There were multiple Ben Franklins and other characters that played on Philly’s colonial and Revolutionary history.
Watch the video the 76ers made explaining how Franklin was created.
The 76ers currently have a 12-41 record this season.
Watch videos of Franklin’s introduction:
Franklin dancing on stage.
Franklin throwing it down.
I'm sorry, Sixers fans. Hopefully things improve for you real soon.