Mysterious Fish – Chiba Lotte Marines, Japan
Japan has no shortage of weird and wonderful mascots, but Mysterious Fish, the anglerfish representative of the Chiba Lotte Marines baseball team, truly takes the cake. Mysterious Fish is technically two mascots in one, his first form being that of a spherical, blue fish that opens its mouth wide to reveal a dancing fish skeleton famed for his athleticism and acrobatics, and which gets the fans hyped for a great game.
Kingsley – Partick Thistle FC, Scotland
The “demonic sun” mascot of Scotland’s Partick Thistle Football Club is actually a really nice guy, despite his somewhat terrifying appearance. Designed by Turner Prize-nominated artist David Shrigley, Kingsley has become a beloved member of the Glasgow community and even once went viral for his looks, trending worldwide and gaining himself international coverage in TIME Magazine.
Yorky Yorknineovic – York United Football Club, Canada
Thanks to his strong chin and dashing green skin, York United soccer club were proud to call the time-travelling robot Yorky their mascot for just one year. Tragically, Yorky was confirmed to have passed away in 2020 at the grand old age of 240. According to Yorky’s ‘obituary’, he was executed by FIFA for failing to complete his mission on earth and leading York United to only a third place finish in 2019.
Pinku and Tinku – Day/night match test, India
Now, technically, the giant, grape-headed Pinku and Tinku don’t belong to any official sports team, but they did have the honor of being the first mascots of India’s day/night cricket match test in Kolkata, 2019. The identical pair joined legendary cricketer Sourav Ganguly to kick off the test match and were well-received by Indian cricket fans. We can’t imagine why, because they’re generally unpleasant to look at.
Swole Daddy – NC Dinos, Korea
South Korean baseball team NC Dinos have a suitably prehistoric mascot. His real name is Sseri, but just one look at this buff brontosaurus and you’ll see why SB Nation unofficially named him Swole Daddy. With his muscular frame and dancing skills, Swole Daddy has taken the mascot world by storm. He also has a co-worker, Dandi the blue Triceratops, but Dandi isn’t quite as beefy.
Pam – Valencia Basket Club, Spain
Pam, the orange, humanoid mascot of Spain’s Valencia Basket Club basketball team, is an enigma. Just exactly what Pam is remains a mystery – he or she certainly looks like a sack on fire, but with a friendly face and muscular arms. Pam is famed for their high-energy dances that keep the crowd entertained, which would explain why s/he has such a great physique.
Les Phryges – Paris Olympics 2024, France
Perhaps it’s unfair to include these two on this list, given that they haven’t actually had their chance to shine in the Olympics yet. But come on, just look at them. The official line from the Olympics is that these odd little fellows are Phrygian caps, commonly known as “liberty caps” and worn during the French Revolution. However, many have said that the pair far more resemble red blood cells, or parts of the female anatomy.
Kin – Mexican national football team, Mexico
Kin is a pretty cool guy, even if he might look a little scary. As mascot of Mexico’s national soccer team, Kin joined the team in 2012 and has been a beloved icon for the country ever since. His distinctive mask is based on a Mayan magician, and he’s proudly emblazoned with the colors of the Mexican flag. He’s remained popular throughout the years because of his cheeky grin.
Son of Dreams – FIBA Basketball World Cup, China
The inspirationally named Son of Dreams was chosen to represent the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China after winning an international competition. The Chinese dragon inspired fella is described as a “young and determined spirit”, who was gifted a pair of high tops by legendary Chinese basketball player Yao Ming. Son of Dreams might show skill on the court, but frankly, he’s just very, very strange.
Slyly – Hiroshima Carp, Japan
Another Japanese entry on to the list is Slyly, one of two mascots representing the Hiroshima Toyo Carp baseball team. With his dragon-like appearance and elongated snout, Slyly bears close resemblance to Philadelphia’s Phillie Phanatic and was even designed by the same company, so maybe the two are long-distance cousins. Whatever the case, Slyly is a beloved, if somewhat strange, member of the Hiroshima community.
Neve and Gliz – 2006 Winter Olympics, Italy
Neve and Gliz were the honored mascots of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and were supposedly designed to represent the beautiful snowy and icy landscapes where the games took place. Unfortunately, Neve and Gliz look less like snow and more like deformed marshmallows, with their bizarre shaped bodies only adding to the confusion. The pair were joined by Aster, their snowflake friend who represented the Paralympics, and fortunately for Aster he was much more normal-looking.
