The National Mascot Hall of Fame announced its 2020 class and it will be headlined by a Canadian mascot legend and pair of Indiana mascots. Indianapolis Colts mascot Blue, Indiana Pacers mascot Boomer, Baltimore Orioles mascot "The Orioles Bird," and Montreal Canadiens mascot Youppi headline the class.
Ironically, the National Mascot Hall of Fame is located in Whiting, Indiana and the 2020 inductions will take place on June 12-15.
Blue was named the NFL Mascot of the Year in 2016 and also had plenty of appearances at schools in the area. Blue and Boomer were selected as two of the 10 finalists for the 2020 class earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Youppi spent time entertaining fans of the Montreal Expos before the team moved to Washington D.C. to become the Washington Nationals. Youppi was the first mascot in MLB history to be ejected from a game, when he was tossed from a 22-inning Expos loss to the Dodgers in 1989. Now Youppi serves as the mascot for the Montreal Canadiens.
"The Oriole Bird" was originally hatched out of a giant egg before the team's 1979 season opener at Memorial Stadium. The Baltimore mascot had actually been seen prior to his hatching, appearing as the team's cap logo from the mid-1960s until the late 1980s, and the again, starting in 2012.
Based on the National Mascot Hall of Fame's location, there may be a little bit of Indiana bias considering that the Colts and Pacers mascots made the final cut.
