MONTREAL -- Perhaps the only "person?" to don a Montreal Canadien and Montreal Expos jersey in a professional capacity was inducted into the Hall of Fame Sunday.
Youppi! joined Blue from the Indianapolis Colts, The Oriole Bird from the MLB’s Baltimore Orioles, and the NBA Indiana Pacers’ Boomer as the Mascot Hall of Fame held its first ever virtual induction ceremony from Whiting, Indiana.
Youppi! is now among other legendary mascots such as the Chicago Bulls’ Benny the Bull, Mr. Met of the New York Mets and Youppi!’s “brother” the Phillie Phanatic.
Youppi! and the Phillie Phanatic were both created by the iconic design team of Bonnie Erickson and husband Wayne Harrison. Erickson served as the head of the Muppet Workshop for Jim Henson in its heyday.
Youppi! is the first Canadian mascot inducted into the Hall, and wore a Habs sweater for the occasion though he also served as mascot for the Montreal Expos before swapping sports when the Expos moved to Washington in 2004.
He is the only mascot to have represented teams that play in two different pro leagues, and holds the distinction of being the first mascot to be tossed from a Major League Baseball game on Aug. 23, 1989.
The Mascot Hall of Fame has been closed since March 14 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
