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Strategy December 04, 2018

Flyers' Gritty Mascot Now Available In Bobblehead Form

The outlandish (slightly maniacal) appearance of the Philadelphia Flyers’ new mascot has made him a viral marketing hit for the professional hockey club.

By  Christopher Ruvo

In what is probably the most expected merchandising move of all time, Gritty has got himself a bobblehead.

The “Wrecking Ball” Gritty bobblehead. Image from Kollectico and National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.

On presale for $110 (for the set of three), the miniature statues of the Philadelphia Flyers’ new mascot are available from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. Kollectico is making the bobbles, which are officially licensed by the Flyers and the National Hockey League. Set to ship Feb. 19, the Gritty bobbleheads come in three varieties. Only 500 of each are reportedly being produced. The above image shows the “Wrecking Ball” bobblehead – a nod to Gritty’s theatrics earlier this year when he descended from the ceiling of the Wells Fargo Center, where the Flyers play, to the tune of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.”

The second Gritty bobblehead pays homage to Rocky, the famous fictional boxer from the City of Brotherly Love whose training run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the most iconic scenes in movie history. The bobble depicts Gritty, arms raised triumphantly like Rocky, on the steps.

[At left] Liberty Bell Gritty. Image from Kollectico and National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. [At right] The “Boxing Steps” Gritty bobblehead. Image from Kollectico and National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.

The third Gritty bobbelhead ties into Philadelphia’s rich colonial history – its position as the United States’ one-time Capitol. The bobble shows Gritty with the Liberty Bell.

The Gritty bobblheads are a hoot. But in a way, we think the design almost tones down some of the wildness of his most defining feature: those crystal meth-fueled eyes.

Still, the bobbleheads – and Gritty himself -- are a success. So, not surprisingly, there are other official and unofficial Gritty promotional products available for purchase. Items include everything from branded T-Shirts and hoodies, to Christmas ornaments. Going forward, we expect to see swag that includes toys, youth caps, pennants, pins, water bottles and more.

As we wrote about previously, Gritty may be a towering orange behemoth who looks like he killed every other character on Sesame Street…but that’s exactly why he has been such a viral marketing victory for the Flyers. Consider: Gritty debuted in September and already has 194,000 followers on Twitter. He has appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Good Morning America, and made headlines in the regional press and national hockey news for his antics. He’s a hype-win for the Flyers – who, languishing in next-to-last place, have done little winning otherwise this year.

Official Gritty T-Shirt is available in the Flyers online shop.

For promotional products distributors and marketing professionals in general, the Gritty phenomenon hammers home what’s perhaps an important lesson: You have to be creative and push the boundaries sometimes – to go a bit over-the-top even – if you want to generate strong buzz amid the constant hype cacophony of the digital age. “Not since IHOP tricked people into believing that they changed their name to IHOb (International House of Burgers) have more people taken to social media to share their opinion on a marketing tactic,” Ken Wisnefski, a social media marketing expert and founder/owner of digital marketing agency WebiMax, previously told Counselor. “A generic mascot was not going to get people talking. Ultimately, if the Phillie Phanatic debuted today, he would be blasted across social media, too. However, he would connect with kids and accomplish the goal of getting people talking.”

In case you haven’t had enough Gritty, here he is playing in the snow. Just, because: