Youppi (sometimes branded as Youppi!) (fr or fr, French for Yippee!) is the official mascot for the Montreal Canadiens, and former longtime mascot of the Montreal Expos. Youppi wears an "!" instead of a jersey number.
History[]
Youppi, a creation of Acme Mascots, Inc. (a division of Harrison/Erickson, Inc.), was commissioned by Montreal Expos vice-president Roger D. Landry. Originally leased by the baseball team in 1979, the mascot was eventually purchased by the Expos and represented them until they moved to Washington, D.C., after the 2004 season. With instructions from Landry and Rodger Brulotte, Youppi was designed by Bonnie Erickson, formerly a designer for Jim Henson, and the designer of Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf and other Muppet characters. Its orange color was chosen as a reference to Rusty Staub, a former player for the Expos.[1] The orange, hairy giant was a popular figure at Olympic Stadium prior to the Expos' relocation to Washington, D.C.
From baseball to hockey[]
After the Expos moved to Washington, D.C., and became the Washington Nationals, the Nationals initially stated that Youppi would still be a part of the team in some capacity. However, the team adopted a new mascot, the eagle "Screech". For months after the move, the fate of Youppi hung in the balance. Negotiations were held with ten groups, including the Montreal Alouettes.[2]
On September 16, 2005, the Montreal Canadiens announced that Youppi would become the first official mascot of the organization, and the first mascot to ever switch between any two major sports leagues in North America. Prior to Youppi, the Canadiens had no mascot. The terms of acquisition were reportedly in the six figures.[2] Youppi now sports the Canadiens' bleu-blanc-rouge (blue, white, and red) jersey. Youppi's first game in the Bell Centre was on October 18, 2005.
On February 19, 2012, at the Canadiens' first home game after the death of Montreal Expos great Gary Carter, Youppi wore the Expos colours in Carter's memory.[3][4][5]
On May 16, 2014, on the eve of the Canadiens series against the New York Rangers in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals, New York City native Jimmy Fallon, the host of NBC's Tonight Show, which is taped in New York, made a bet with the Montreal Canadiens that if they won the series, Fallon would wear a Montreal jersey during his opening monologue. However, if the Rangers won the series, Youppi would have to wear a Rangers jersey around Montreal and post at least ten pictures of him doing so on the Canadiens' Twitter account and also change their avatar to a pic of Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist playing guitar. The Rangers won the series on May 29 in six games. As such, on June 1, the Canadiens honoured their bet and a dejected Youppi was photographed around Montreal in a Rangers jersey with Fallon's name on the back, and the last photo, as Fallon stated, featured him riding the mechanical bull at Montreal bar Chez Serge.[6]
References[]
- ↑ "Before Youppi there was Souki, the Expos mascot that made children cry", theathletic.com, June 23, 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Canadiens get Youppi to be Mascot. tsn.ca (2005-09-16).
- ↑ Habs honour Gary Carter in pre-game tribute; Youppi dons Expos gear for ceremony | Globalnews.ca (en-US).
- ↑ How Youppi, Habs keep Expos' spirit alive (en) (2016-08-25).
- ↑ Calcaterra, Craig (2012-02-20). The Montreal Canadiens honor Gary Carter (en-US).
- ↑ Youppi rides mechanical bull after losing bet with Jimmy Fallon. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (June 1, 2014).
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