Blooper is the official

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

team. A big, fuzzy creature with extendable ears, he performs various routines to entertain fans during baseball games at

Truist Park Truist Park is a baseball stadium in the Atlanta metropolitan area, approximately 10 miles (16 km) northwest of downtown Atlanta in the unincorporated community of Cumberland, in Cobb County, Georgia. Opened in 2017, it is the ballpark of ...

, and makes public relation and goodwill appearances for the Braves. While some fans were reluctant when Blooper was introduced, his antics on and off the field soon won fans over in Atlanta.

Creation

Blooper was introduced on January 27, 2018, at the Atlanta Braves fan fest. Blooper succeeded the Braves' "Homer the Brave" mascot after he went into retirement. According to the Braves, he's a "product of science run amok", meaning Blooper is everything that makes a Braves' superfan that came out of a machine. He's nearly 7-foot tall and wears a 5XL T-shirt. While fan reception was mixed at first, after the Braves won the

2021 World Series The 2021 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2021 Major League Baseball season, 2021 season. The 117th World Series was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) c ...

Blooper was welcomed by Braves fans all over the region.

Performances

Blooper has generated attention on and off the field. In 2019, Blooper pulled off a lucrative stunt by pretending to steal

Bryce Harper Bryce Aron Max Harper (born October 16, 1992) is an American professional baseball first baseman and right fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals. One o ...

's $330 million contract. Blooper, sporting a judge's robe and wig, called Harper over into foul territory and showed him a board reading "I declare June 16, 2019 'National Bryce Harper Day.'" When Harper signed the proclamation, Blooper revealed that it was actually a check for $330 million. Blooper also performed a similar trick on

Manny Machado Manuel Arturo Machado (; born July 6, 1992) is an American professional baseball third baseman and shortstop for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Highly recruited from an early age, he was raised in Miami, where he attende ...

during the 2019 season. During the 2020

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

shortened season, Blooper dressed up as famous characters like

The Mandalorian ''The Mandalorian'' is an American space Western television series created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+. It is the first live-action series in the ''Star Wars'' franchise and begins five years after the events of the fil ...

Bob Ross Robert Norman Ross (October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995) was an American painter and art instructor who created and hosted '' The Joy of Painting'', an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS in the United States, ...

, and

Guy Fieri Guy Ramsay Fieri (, ; Ferry; born January 22, 1968) is an American restaurateur, author, and an Emmy Award winning television presenter. He co-owned three now-defunct restaurants in California. He licenses his name to restaurants in cities a ...

. In 2021, Blooper took a shot at the city of Cincinnati by declaring chili doesn't go on spaghetti. The declaration ended up as a feud on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

as the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

and Skyline Chili Twitter accounts responded to Blooper. After the Braves won the

, Blooper and Braves outfielder

Joc Pederson Joc Russell Pederson ( ; born April 21, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, San ...

were invited by

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

football coach

Kirby Smart Kirby Paul Smart (born December 23, 1975) is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach at the University of Georgia, his alma mater. As head coach, he led the Bulldogs to back-to-back national champion ...

to Athens Georgia. The two were honored during a Georgia Bulldog football game. During a timeout in the game, Pederson and Blooper were cheered by fans when they were introduced on the 10-yard line.

References

{{Atlanta Braves, width=100 Culture of Atlanta Major League Baseball team mascots Mascots introduced in 2018 Atlanta Braves Cartoon mascots