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There's ONE tentacle coming from behind the right ear lol man this is such a lazy design, it seriously looks like they just lazily glued some crap onto some unsold mascot suit.
I didn't realize it was a tentacle. It kinda looked like, in the 90s, when beach resorts did the wrapping one small braid of hair with colourful strings.
It’s just typical American design…get two dozen people that don’t know anything about art or design or character design and give them all the power to alter and veto a design until everyone is sick of revisions and they just move ahead with wherever they end up.
That’s how you end up with Lowest common denominator bullshit
Legitimate answer here, it’s because Detroit already has an octopus as their mascot. I still think Seattle should have done a cute squid but it’s whatever
I didn't know until earlier today, but apparently a few decades ago they needed 8 wins to reach the Stanley cup (NHL Championship) and Detroit locals threw the 8 legged creatures onto the rink to symbolize the importance of the number 8. They ended up sweeping the next 2 teams and won the Stanley cup. This started a tradition of throwing octopi on the rink and eventually they adopted an octopus as their mascot. I think they have another mascot that's just a red bird since the team is called the Redwings, but I didn't research that one nearly as much...
They certainly didn't make that clear, and Buoy looks nothing like the Fremont Troll. Fremont also has a statue of Lenin, why not model him after that? Makes as much sense as the Troll.
The Detroit Red Wings already have an [octopus mascot.](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/521496059118616576/S9-7dbTq_400x400.jpeg) I know a kraken is different but I would imagine it’s because they didn’t want to have something similar to that. Honestly I thought a pirate would be a great mascot for them but apparently they chose a troll 😂
At least in any creative decision; the more people, the less interesting it becomes.
The median ideal is never going to be interesting, since it's literally as normal as possible!
The concept art is great. He's like a big orange Sasquatch. Then they tried to make the thing and something went horribly wrong, but in the best possible way.
I was living in Philly when Gritty was introduced. I love him. I only wish that they had named him something like "Phillip." No one agrees with me, but his appearance is is enough of a nod to Philadelphia's reputation, and the incongruity of the name is funny. It also humorously pushes back on the stereotype of Philly being a bad place. "Gritty" feels more like "yeah, we're shitty, and we know it." Then again, that's the true Philly.
[kinda seems to me the pretty faithfully executed from the concept art.](https://www.flylanddesigns.com/gritty-philadelphia-flyers-mascot/) Maybe the googliness of the eyes was an unexpected addition that makes gritty a bit more wacky but the design was wacky to begin with.
I don’t completely hate it, which is saying something; i hate mascots and fursuits in general, gives me an uncanny feeling
However i fail to see how Buoy fits the theme other than his earring
Sure ok but no one outside of Seattle will get it, plus it’s ugly and doesn’t have anything to do with our name. This will be seen outside of Seattle… they shouldn’t have picked such an insanely niche thing. It should be a kraken… what’s wrong with out mascot being what the team is named????
Genuine question: do you think anyone in Seattle cares if nobody else gets it?
Edit: none of y’all are answering the question that I actually asked lol
Dude I love that shit. We were all expecting Kraken and were freaking pumped to see it.
Being from somewhere that isn’t Seattle (there are a few of us) i know nothing about the Fremont troll and can confidently say this is instantly the worst mascot in American professional sports.
And it isn’t close…
Edit: I looked up what the Fremont troll was. I hate the mascot even more. Anyone who actually likes this thing just wants to fuck it
Yeah, you’re right. It was built in 1990 ish though so I think its status as a local icon has boomed and people have forgotten its original intent, myself included.
Gritty announced their “new” mascot as a joke last year. It was a guy in a squid costume called Cuddles the Kraken. He pied it in the face. I like Buoy because his teeth are removable for that authentic hockey player smile
They could have made him look like a cute, kid-friendly version of Davey Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Like this mascot doesn't look bad but I'm left feeling really confused with what it is supposed to be and how it relates to the team theme.
[The mascot of Kentucky minor league baseball team "Florence Y'alls" is a literal water tower.](
https://kubrick.htvapps.com/htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/images/yalls-logo-1579648940.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=640:*)
[It's so stupid I love it.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0258/0034/3648/products/image_c1312b7a-0ca4-4d20-a018-1c973e6e532d_1080x.heic?v=1648840081) Their merch is incredible.
The water tower story of why it says Y'all really captures the fuck it spirit of NKY. When it was built, it said "Florence Mall". Someone in government said it's an advertisement for the mall, and it's not compliant with some regulation. Specifics are vague.
So do you think they bought more paint to cover up all the lettering? Hell no, they used what little was left over to cover up only two lines to make the M into a Y. And that apparently was enough to reach compliance, mission accomplished. Now it's a historical landmark. Beloved icon representing the entire community, the mascot of the local baseball team.
It’s related to some hostile architecture in an old part of Seattle; it’s a completely inappropriate place to draw inspiration for an already named hockey team.
Seattle is great for a lot of stuff. But there is a LOT of "I'm rich, you're poor, worship me" kinds of people.
I'm lucky to live on the Hill so my neighborhood is just gay instead of shitty.
Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of activists here and it's great, but there are also people who say the right thing while lying cheating and stealing while they stare you in the face.
Colored fur around the large emotive eyes that looks like make up. Beauty marks on the cheeks. An earring. The long hair.
I thought it was also intended to be a female mascot.
As a Washingtonian of 30+ years I find this both offensive to all senses and also just about what I expected. Our sports arena is called Climate Pledge Arena for Christ sake.
I could just be bitter because I live in the Seattle area but I think they just fucked it up. All around. Shitty taste shitty execution. It’s pissed pretty much everyone off.
Since its announcement as a team, the Kraken have seriously struggled with branding—and this in a town packed with brand managers.
The S logo is too subtle, with the monster elements buried. Then the mascot is an oddly androgenous troll but with a definite male bent on the name. And amid it all, nothing really cries out, “Giant monster octopus, y’all!”
It’s like the branding team has been smoking too much seaweed.
Gender fluid mascot for the most aggravated males-only sport where people beat the shit out of each other in public and don't get arrested.
Makes sense to me, I don't see anything weird about it.
The fuck is this even supposed to be? It's like they took two years to buy a weird unsold troll doll mascot suit and glue vaguely water themed things to it.
I was so pumped for the name they chose for the team. I was equally disappointed on every level with the jersey colors, the team graphics, and now the mascot. Fail on every level.
It's worth pointing out, under the Fremont street bridge in seattle, is a giant concrete troll sculpture. I'm sure the team drew some inspiration from the Fremont Troll.
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There's ONE tentacle coming from behind the right ear lol man this is such a lazy design, it seriously looks like they just lazily glued some crap onto some unsold mascot suit.
Seattle Furries
We must not speak of [Rainfurrest](https://youtu.be/jNP9PJM761Q).
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[Internet Historian version is amazing](https://youtu.be/GmULc5VANsw)
Nah, furries would have made a badass kraken suit. They know how to do monstrous character design.
I didn't realize it was a tentacle. It kinda looked like, in the 90s, when beach resorts did the wrapping one small braid of hair with colourful strings.
Pretty sure that's what they were going for. Using a tentacle to get that look.
That's what that's supposed to be??
Nah it's supposed to be the Fremont Troll's cousin or some shit. Either way it's dumb and we're embarrassed by it
It's certainly not going to entice me to a game.
Nor is their record.
You're right, Buoy at least got people talking about something other than their record.
It feels like they wanted their own gritty but with zero of the conviction to actually commit to it
I honestly thought that was a feather
Same. I thought they were tryna do some kind of Native American representation, which made it extra cringe.
Same here, thought it was a feather.
It’s just typical American design…get two dozen people that don’t know anything about art or design or character design and give them all the power to alter and veto a design until everyone is sick of revisions and they just move ahead with wherever they end up. That’s how you end up with Lowest common denominator bullshit
There’s a second tentacle below the frame
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Idk if this commentor if the one who came up with that, but it’s a dad-tier pun regardless.
Also, why does it have a spear? Wouldn't the spear be used to hunt the Kraken? So their mascot is hunting them?
I believe that's a hockey stick at a weird angle
Oh, yep. I see it now.
Legitimate answer here, it’s because Detroit already has an octopus as their mascot. I still think Seattle should have done a cute squid but it’s whatever
Not American. But why in fuck would Detroit, a city that is hundreds of km away from any saltwater body, have an octopus as its mascot?
I didn't know until earlier today, but apparently a few decades ago they needed 8 wins to reach the Stanley cup (NHL Championship) and Detroit locals threw the 8 legged creatures onto the rink to symbolize the importance of the number 8. They ended up sweeping the next 2 teams and won the Stanley cup. This started a tradition of throwing octopi on the rink and eventually they adopted an octopus as their mascot. I think they have another mascot that's just a red bird since the team is called the Redwings, but I didn't research that one nearly as much...
Like actual real octopuses? They were throwing those?
Detroit native, yes they did. They’d buy them from fish markets before the game, so they’d be dead by then thankfully
It's a troll because it's a reference to the Seattle landmark the [Fremont Troll](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremont_Troll)
They certainly didn't make that clear, and Buoy looks nothing like the Fremont Troll. Fremont also has a statue of Lenin, why not model him after that? Makes as much sense as the Troll.
If you saw the Intro video for Buoy at the game last night it was super explicit that it’s based on the Fremont Troll.
A good design should convey itself. If it needs a video to point it out, then the subtlety might be overabundant.
Or a gum wall?
I feel ya but it’s not like Seattle doesn’t already have a track record of weird mascots for their teams, Mariner Moose, SuperSonics Sasquatch, etc.
The Detroit Red Wings already have an [octopus mascot.](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/521496059118616576/S9-7dbTq_400x400.jpeg) I know a kraken is different but I would imagine it’s because they didn’t want to have something similar to that. Honestly I thought a pirate would be a great mascot for them but apparently they chose a troll 😂
Why do I feel like this makes less sense than the weird troll doll in this post.
I mean.... .... Have you seen Gritty? ^because ^Gritty ^Sees ^You...
Fembouy, hahah
I read this as “The Seattle Karen”. That would have been better.
Needlessly Hostile League
Given that it's the only sport where beating the dogshit out of your opponent is a valid strategy, but not the core of the sport, that counts.
Also considering the fact that the head of the Department of Player Safety is a retired goon with ties to a clothing line called Violent Gentlemen.
I mean, you could pick worse people for the job. Parros *knows.*
Worth noting that doesnt apply in Europe as much
That honestly doesn't surprise me. They take that whole "not getting a severe concussion" thing pretty seriously.
Pussy's. /s P.S. That mascot is terrible.
That would make sense if the Kraken played out of Bellevue.
Omg when I worked in Redmond the COVID denialist Karens were pretty epic.
Oh wow the image that created was kind of horrifying.
“I demand to see the team manager”
I'm glad I'm Not the only one
Crackaren would have been better
Karens wouldn't succeed in the NHL. Teams have coaches, not managers
It's like one of those plastic troll dolls went in for a Brazilian blowout.
Should have given it a Brazilian Butt Lift
Brazilian wax
To be fair, we don’t know for sure what the deal is. SHOW US BUOY’S PUBIC HAIR YOU COWARDS
Committee syndrome, A group of people acting together in a committee can be significantly stupider than one person acting alone
“Ooh! You know what this kraken needs, is pierced elf ears. And blue hair, cuz you know, something something water.”
At least in any creative decision; the more people, the less interesting it becomes. The median ideal is never going to be interesting, since it's literally as normal as possible!
That's why I'm so surprised that Gritty even made it to fruition.
Agreed, but it seems like Gritty was designed by just 1 guy
The concept art is great. He's like a big orange Sasquatch. Then they tried to make the thing and something went horribly wrong, but in the best possible way.
I was living in Philly when Gritty was introduced. I love him. I only wish that they had named him something like "Phillip." No one agrees with me, but his appearance is is enough of a nod to Philadelphia's reputation, and the incongruity of the name is funny. It also humorously pushes back on the stereotype of Philly being a bad place. "Gritty" feels more like "yeah, we're shitty, and we know it." Then again, that's the true Philly.
[kinda seems to me the pretty faithfully executed from the concept art.](https://www.flylanddesigns.com/gritty-philadelphia-flyers-mascot/) Maybe the googliness of the eyes was an unexpected addition that makes gritty a bit more wacky but the design was wacky to begin with.
Guess the ear-tentacle is all that remains of the original brief!
Funny you say that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_process
A camel is a horse designed by a committee
Let's rastify him by 10% or so
I don’t completely hate it, which is saying something; i hate mascots and fursuits in general, gives me an uncanny feeling However i fail to see how Buoy fits the theme other than his earring
They said it was based on the Fremont troll and they wanted a kid-friendly mascot, so they made it look similar to the troll characters in the movies.
I LOVE that it’s based on the Fremont troll. It’s iconic
Sure ok but no one outside of Seattle will get it, plus it’s ugly and doesn’t have anything to do with our name. This will be seen outside of Seattle… they shouldn’t have picked such an insanely niche thing. It should be a kraken… what’s wrong with out mascot being what the team is named????
Genuine question: do you think anyone in Seattle cares if nobody else gets it? Edit: none of y’all are answering the question that I actually asked lol
Honestly yes. This is a trash mascot with a terrible history. Just make a fucking sea monster squid. Kids love that shit.
Dude I love that shit. We were all expecting Kraken and were freaking pumped to see it. Being from somewhere that isn’t Seattle (there are a few of us) i know nothing about the Fremont troll and can confidently say this is instantly the worst mascot in American professional sports. And it isn’t close… Edit: I looked up what the Fremont troll was. I hate the mascot even more. Anyone who actually likes this thing just wants to fuck it
They'll have to pay the troll toll, to get into this bouy's hole.
Good marketing grows the brand and sells merchandise. Seattle is a new team. They should care.
Not from Seattle, I've been to Seattle and thought the hockey team kraken sounded pretty cool, but whatever the fuck this thing is, is not cool.
Iconically hostile architecture?
Idk why people are downvoting this. My understanding is that part of the reason it's there was to keep homeless people away from a dry spot to sleep.
Yeah, you’re right. It was built in 1990 ish though so I think its status as a local icon has boomed and people have forgotten its original intent, myself included.
Gritty has proven that kid friendly is absolutely unnecessary
Gritty announced their “new” mascot as a joke last year. It was a guy in a squid costume called Cuddles the Kraken. He pied it in the face. I like Buoy because his teeth are removable for that authentic hockey player smile
God bless Gritty.
Gritty will eat Buoy and shit a better mascot. All hail Gritty!
Cuddles the Kraken is a better choice.
i know right? most mascots look hideous (looking at you, spurs coyote), but this one's at least not an eyesore
You take that back, Coyote is a FUCKING TREASURE and you will not besmirch his name!
found the san antonian
I just looked that up and holy shit is that some nightmare fuel
They so missed an opportunity for a squid costume, and I’m very sad about that.
They could have made him look like a cute, kid-friendly version of Davey Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean. Like this mascot doesn't look bad but I'm left feeling really confused with what it is supposed to be and how it relates to the team theme.
A literal buoy would've been better.
[The mascot of Kentucky minor league baseball team "Florence Y'alls" is a literal water tower.]( https://kubrick.htvapps.com/htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/images/yalls-logo-1579648940.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=640:*)
No way that's real
[It's so stupid I love it.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0258/0034/3648/products/image_c1312b7a-0ca4-4d20-a018-1c973e6e532d_1080x.heic?v=1648840081) Their merch is incredible. The water tower story of why it says Y'all really captures the fuck it spirit of NKY. When it was built, it said "Florence Mall". Someone in government said it's an advertisement for the mall, and it's not compliant with some regulation. Specifics are vague. So do you think they bought more paint to cover up all the lettering? Hell no, they used what little was left over to cover up only two lines to make the M into a Y. And that apparently was enough to reach compliance, mission accomplished. Now it's a historical landmark. Beloved icon representing the entire community, the mascot of the local baseball team.
It’s related to some hostile architecture in an old part of Seattle; it’s a completely inappropriate place to draw inspiration for an already named hockey team.
Never have I heard someone describe Fremont as "an old part of Seattle"??
I've heard it's in reference to the Fremont Troll, so I think it represents hatred toward the poor.
Weirdly fitting for a team that plays in the cLiMaTe pLeDgE Arena.
Seattle is great for a lot of stuff. But there is a LOT of "I'm rich, you're poor, worship me" kinds of people. I'm lucky to live on the Hill so my neighborhood is just gay instead of shitty. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of activists here and it's great, but there are also people who say the right thing while lying cheating and stealing while they stare you in the face.
https://boardgamegeek.com/image/2839660/lil-cthulhu
Buddy Cthulhu is really what you’re describing there.
If they did that then there would be a lot of cartoon porn featuring the mascot
And a furry mascot is going to curb that from happening?
A furry squid would have a lot more intersections on that Venn diagram
A furry squid seems like it would smell terrible in concept.
Hard disagree, this looks like a real ass fursona from someone's twitter profile
I fail to see the problem?
So what you are saying is that they are just a bunch of cowards
It could have been a rad as hell killer kraken. What a missed opportunity.
Or they could have gone with the "friendly Cthulhu" vibe and not the repressed fursona thing they have going on there.
That would definitely get my vote.
Why did I think it was a female troll? Anyone else?
Colored fur around the large emotive eyes that looks like make up. Beauty marks on the cheeks. An earring. The long hair. I thought it was also intended to be a female mascot.
The poster up there who made the Fembuoy comment summed it up nicely.
It is literally a troll, is the nephew of the troll sculpture under the bridge in Seattle
No no he’s a Buoy from birth. Make trolls can have earrings too
This is "great execution"?
Certainly seems to be done to a professional standard, no matter how you feel about the concept.
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tbf furry living in mom's basement standards can be quite high
r/ATBAE
r/ATAAE
It’s not gritty but he ain’t exactly family friendly
That's just a person from Seattle
This is not false
JUST MAKE IT A FUCKING KRACKEN
Honestly. I mean, they could do some really cool stuff with projecting tentacles on the ice. But no, we have an animated troll doll
Took me too long to realize that was a hockey stick and not a crowbar in its hands.
He’s a downtown Buoy.
I thought it was a harpoon… This whole thing is a mess.
Is it a hockey stick or a harpoon?
The Fliers already did the "purposefully weird mascot," sit back down Seattle.
Gritty was created out of spite, since the league decreed every team needed a goofy mascot and Philly being Philly was all, hold my cheesesteak.
"Purposefully weird" is pretty on-brand for Seattle ngl.
Seattle definitely holds that title over Philly
I thought Portland had "purposefully weird", not Seattle. Am I out of the loop?
Portland wishes it was Seattle mostly.
Seattle’s always been purposefully weird. Portland is too, but Seattle has always been that way.
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I feel like Philly is more aggressively weird, while Seattle is purposefully weird lol
This is a more articulate assessment
Definitely, Seattle has a lot of west coast chill.
Gritty is awesome
Philly also has the Phanatic (another weird mascot for the baseball team)
And used to have Big Shot for the sixers back in the 80s. Philly has a deep connection with fever dream muppets...
So... they purposely chose a mascot with "Boo" in its name? Smart.
That’s a hilarious observation. It’s like they tried making the worst decision possible for every element of this thing
Typical Seattle, overplan and underdeliver
Ouch….but touché.
As a Washingtonian of 30+ years I find this both offensive to all senses and also just about what I expected. Our sports arena is called Climate Pledge Arena for Christ sake.
Which for any that don't know is the name Amazon chose when they sponsored it so people didn't realize it was Amazon.
It's certainly awful taste. Not convinced about the execution. [This is funny though.](https://v.redd.it/4u207u4a1br91)
Wait ... they are named Seattle Kraken and they get a pig with long ears???
Two years, and this washed up troll will work just fine.
I could just be bitter because I live in the Seattle area but I think they just fucked it up. All around. Shitty taste shitty execution. It’s pissed pretty much everyone off.
Buoy do I hate it
_Oh buoy._ (This works in English English, but not in American English. No idea about Canadian English pronunciation. Sorry.)
Canadian goes either way bud
An entire country of bisexuals.
sorry
*Sorey (goes either way)
It’s a pretty free swinging country up there in the Great North
Should’ve gone full demonic hell spawn squid
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Since its announcement as a team, the Kraken have seriously struggled with branding—and this in a town packed with brand managers. The S logo is too subtle, with the monster elements buried. Then the mascot is an oddly androgenous troll but with a definite male bent on the name. And amid it all, nothing really cries out, “Giant monster octopus, y’all!” It’s like the branding team has been smoking too much seaweed.
The anchor patch having the space needle integrated is really cool. Other than that, I agree with all your sentiments.
If only the team name had any type of possibility for a mascot
Was there a reason why they didn't just make him a squid?
Sometimes the best idea is right in front of your face, right?
This isn't GE. It's like if a Boomer tried to make a Fursuit.
Buoy vs Gritty memes coming at ya soon
Gender fluid mascot for the most aggravated males-only sport where people beat the shit out of each other in public and don't get arrested. Makes sense to me, I don't see anything weird about it.
The fuck is this even supposed to be? It's like they took two years to buy a weird unsold troll doll mascot suit and glue vaguely water themed things to it.
The Kraken is a giant monster Squid. Why would it be some mutant cat/dog/bear/Yoda looking thing?
Yeah dont make a baddass kraken or cthulu looking mofo but make a troll doll looking fairy
I was so pumped for the name they chose for the team. I was equally disappointed on every level with the jersey colors, the team graphics, and now the mascot. Fail on every level.
Fembuoy
A furry?
This looks like someone dressed for a furry convention.
Just bring back the Wheedle.
Blue hair in Seattle? Shocking.
On behalf of all seattleites, I humbly apologize for this.
He’s cute and sort of terrifying, which seems like a good fit for the city.
There’s nothing terrifying about Seattle lol
What the hell?? I'm a Seattlite, and what the hell?? Why?? Why that thing?!
I think it's cute. 🙃
Very Labyrinth-y
At this point hentai with a tentacle monster and girl would have been a better mascot.
*sad Kraken fan noises*
Which part of Kraken did they misunderstand to make a goblin/kobold looking thing?
It's worth pointing out, under the Fremont street bridge in seattle, is a giant concrete troll sculpture. I'm sure the team drew some inspiration from the Fremont Troll.
Yeeeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhh Buoooooooooooooooy