Step aside, Gritty. There's a new, irregular mascot on the NHL scene.
Ahead of the 2022-23 season, the Kraken introduced their first mascot in team history. May we present to you, Buoy the sea-troll.
The mascot pays tribute to the Fremont Troll, a well-known art structure located underneath the Fremont Bridge in Seattle.
Oh Buoy, this is going to be good! 😉
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) October 2, 2022
Welcome to The Deep, @SEAbuoy! pic.twitter.com/ZNCNfqn4iR
Meet Buoy!!! #FremontTroll #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/xmW4u2qZdG
— Alison (@AlisonL) October 2, 2022
According to Lamont Buford, the Kraken's vice president of entertainment experience and production, the team received hundreds of ideas for the mascot, but eventually decided on Buoy.
"We looked at all the characters in this area, and we wanted to make sure that what we brought was going to be unique," Buford told ESPN's Ryan S. Clark. We didn't want to be like anybody else. When you look at a lot of mascots in sports, you can tell which mascots that were generated from looking at another mascot. We wanted to make sure we avoided that."
Seattle had options on the table, but also ruled out a few. The team did not want to use an octopus as the Red Wings currently have Al the Octopus as its mascot. The club also did not want to use a kraken as the mascot because no one is actually sure what it looks like.
"We talk about the kraken as living in the theater of the mind," said Katie Townsend, the Kraken's senior vice president of marketing and communications. "It's a mysterious beast. We don't want to be a cartoon brand which is why we have not revealed the full kraken. It was a fairly obvious choice that we would not go with a kraken, but would do a deep dive led by Lamont and team to examine what is the right mascot for the city, for the fans and for the brand."
Buoy is getting his first taste of playoff action. After an underwhelming inaugural season, Seattle turned things around in its second year in the league and made the postseason for the first time in club history.
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Here is more information on Buoy the mascot and the meaning behind him.
What is the Kraken's new mascot?
The Kraken's mascot, Buoy, is a sea-troll. To the team's knowledge, it is the first mascot in North American professional sports to be a troll.
There is meaning behind everything with Buoy. According to Buford, his blue fur matches the team's color scheme and his hair is a nod to hockey hair.
There is a tentacle that dangles from Buoy's ear, which is a way to let fans know Buoy "had an encounter with a kraken," and his earring is the same anchor that is used as the team's shoulder patch as an alternative logo.
Why is the Kraken's mascot a troll?
The reasoning behind Buoy being a troll is that he was inspired by the Fremont Troll, a public sculpture that is underneath the Aurora Bridge in Seattle. In fact, the Kraken claim that Buoy is the nephew of the Fremont Troll.
The popular landmark was created in 1990 thanks to an art contest put on by the Fremont Arts Council. The purpose of the competition was to create a sculpture that would help deter people away from hanging out and living under the bridge.
The piece of art was designed by Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter and Ross Whitehead, all artists local to the Seattle area.
