Mr.Red, Gapper, Mr. Redlegs, Rosie Red – MLB Cincinnati Reds Mascots
As expected from a very mature and successful team, the Cincinnati Reds have mascots of their own. However, what you might not expect is that they have four of them. Yes, four mascots. Can you go overboard and is it too much? Is one the sweet spot? Well, the Reds obviously feel that the more, the merrier.
Mr. Red
Mr. Red is the team’s original mascot. Yes, he does look surprisingly similar to Mr. Met, the New York Mets mascot. Some consider both to be uninspiring – after all, it’s a humanoid figure in a standard team uniform with a baseball in lieu of a head – but it works and the mascots look nice. Mr. Red is also called ‘The Running Man’, thanks to his running pose in the 1968 season logo.
Mr. Red has been with the team on and off. First, he only appeared on a logo, but sometime in the early 80’s the management decided to make him a humanoid figure. He is known for his uniform bearing number 27. They retired him again in 2007, bur revived him in 2012.
Gapper
Gapper, another Reds mascot, was introduced in 2002 as a sidekick to Mr. Red to mark the movement to the new stadium, Great American Ball Park. He is a furry red pet, and takes his name after a gap in the stadium seats that provides a great view of the stadium. Nick St. Pierre is the man behind the Gapper mask. The aim was to create a new, lively mascot that would be more popular among kids. The costume cost $18 thousand and was made by David Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic.
Mr. Redlegs
Mr. Redlegs looks a lot like Mr. Red, and in fact he used to appear in 1950’s. He’s a retro looking dude – somewhat like a Mexican cousin of Mr. Red, with his huge mustache and an interesting choice in hats. He experienced a mishap in 2008 – when driving an ATV, he fell and his mask went right off.
Rosie Red
Rosie Red is the newest addition to the Cincinnati Reds mascot roster, appearing in August 2008. She is actually the official mascot of the Rosie Reds charitable organization founded in 1964 by a group of Cincinnati women that originally aimed to prevent the team from leaving. Both the group and the mascot take their name from Rosie Janis, a huge fan in the 1940 who climbed to fame by cheering for the team.
Nowadays, all four mascots appear on the field. It certainly gets a little crowded, but we’re sure the team appreciates the support. The fans must be delighted too, especially the little ones. The Reds are unique with their mascot policy, but it appears to be working for them just fine.
Apparently, Gapper is the least popular mascot of them all. He is preferred by only 6 percent of the fans. Mr. Redlegs is the most popular as a 47 percent fan favorite.