5 Reasons Blooper Is the Best Mascot in Baseball

When the Atlanta Braves first introduced Blooper, there was a lot of backlash. Fans called him ugly and a worse version of the Philly Phanatic. Five years later, he's probably the best mascot in baseball.

But what's changed the fans' minds? How did Blooper go from hated to beloved (or is it just fear)? Here are just five reasons why.

5. He's great with the kids

At the end of the day, you need your team's mascot to be kid-friendly. If your mascot isn't approachable for the kids, what's the point?

Thankfully, Blooper is a true professional with the kids. Not only do fans love him, but players' kids also love him. Blooper has left such a great impression, that even two years after Freddie Freeman left, Charlie Freeman still excitedly met up with Blooper at this year's All-Star Game Red Carpet.

But his relationship with Stone Duvall, the son of former Brave Adam Duvall, is even more heartwarming. During the 2021 playoff run, their friendship rose to the spotlight, with the two best friends even getting a feature on Fox 5.

Sadly, great things don't last forever, and Duvall and the Braves parted ways this past offseason. Blooper was obviously crushed, and he took to Twitter to pen this short but beautiful farewell.

But this wasn't the end of the story for Blooper and Stone. When the Braves mascot hosted a mascot party this past July, Wally, the Boston Red Sox mascot received an invitation. It turned out, Wally wasn't the only one from Boston getting an invitation.

In the mascot's version of co-parenting, Wally brought along the Duvall family (sans Adam, of course), which made some Blooper die-hards very happy.

After the game, Michelle Duvall, Stone's mother, shared on Instagram that Stone is a shy kid, but Blooper helps him open up. What other mascot looks out for the kiddos like Blooper?

Although sometimes being great with kids doesn't mean being nice to them.

4. Other mascots fear him

Oh, you thought that because Bloopy is great with the kids and hosts mascot parties means that he doesn't strike fear into the hearts of opponents? You thought wrong. (Did you not see those stiff arms on those kids?)

Blooper's power over other mascots is so great that even other sports' mascots recognize his legendary status. We know Gritty, the mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers, only made this sign to stay on the good side of the great Blooper.

3. He's a great listener

Mascots, as we know, don't talk. For a lot of us, it'd be really hard to build relationships with others without talking. But Blooper? He's just an award-winning listener who definitely doesn't talk to Matt Olson.

His ability to show his character without speaking is truly awe-inspiring, and he's often rewarded with gigs (non-speaking, of course).