The National Mascot Hall of Fame (MHOF) celebrated its Inaugural Induction Weekend June 14-16, 2019 in Whiting, Indiana (just 30 minutes from downtown Chicago)! As the new home for the unsung heroes of sports, we celebrated the induction of our 2019 HOF Class including The Nittany Lion from Penn State University, Tommy Hawk from the Chicago Blackhawks, Sluggerrr from the Kansas City Royals, and Benny the Bull from the Chicago Bulls. They join an elite group of 17 previously inducted mascots, 12 of which were on hand this weekend to help inaugurate their new hall of fame home and celebrate the new inductees.
The weekend began with an Opening Reception on Friday evening, June 14th. Reggy, the official mascot of the Mascot Hall of Fame, introduced the 2019 Inductee Class before a crowd of MHOF guests, members, and sports industry executives, including current and former mascot performers. The weekend continued Saturday with a members-only breakfast hosted by Reggy where the 4 inductees mixed and mingled with the attendees. Saturday culminated in an all-day mascot-fest inside the MHOF museum walls. As many as 19 pro and collegiate sports mascots were on hand throughout the day inside the MHOF and outside at the 2-day Mascot HOF Fan Fest being held on the adjacent street to the MHOF.
The weekend was highlighted by the shortest parade on Earth – an entire 800 feet from Oil City Stadium to the MHOF – with mascots arriving on foot to the stage in preparation for the official Induction Ceremony to honor our four 2019 inductees. All mascots, including previously inducted ones, were honored with their very own personalized Mascot HOF ring to commemorate their membership to the Hall of Fame.
Over 1,500 visitors, members and sports fans joined us throughout the weekend from across the country to participate in the celebration. You can watch the entire Induction Ceremony, which was broadcast live on Facebook Live, on our YouTube Channel – https://youtu.be/Oi9pS0jXeEc
For more information on the Mascot Hall of Fame, visit www.mascothalloffame.com.