All the ways we’ve described Gritty in 2018
The Flyers mascot was a gift for our collective creativity.
When future historians attempt to explain the culture of early 21st century Philadelphia, no doubt they’ll cite 2018 often. This year the city welcomed its first Super Bowl victory…and also Gritty.
After being introduced on Sept. 24, the new Flyers mascot became so popular, so virally explosive, so fashionably unfashionable, that it’s hard to believe some Philadelphians still haven’t heard about the persimmon-tinged tumbleweed or the cockeyed antics the character has been pressed into — both in person and in meme.
It’s also purposely difficult to describe the creature, which was conceived as “a monster” to avoid having to conform to any preconceived stereotype.
But that hasn’t stopped people from trying. Here’s a collection of ways the media described Gritty in 2018.
- Pure nightmare fuel
- An acid trip of a mascot
- A cross of Snuffleupagus and Oscar the Grouch
- A shaggy orange Wookiee-esque grotesquerie
- A 7-foot tall orange hellion
- The mascot version of a stab wound
- A tangerine hypertrichotic demon
- Vomit-hued monstrous manifestation of Philadelphia’s attitude
- A fuzzy eldritch horror
- Part cute stuffed toy, part barely repressed hurricane
- A Where the Wild Things Are misfit
- A stuffed animal gone seriously, terrifyingly rogue
- Une icône de l’extrême gauche américaine
- A pumpkin spice fur demon
- Kensington as hell
- A ghastly empty-eyed Muppet with a Delco beard
- Potentially insurrectionary
- A DNA splice between the Phanatic, a fully flowering maple tree, and Hagar the Horrible
- Titian titan
- Babadook-looking thing
- A non-binary leftist icon
- The end result of the orange McDonald’s Fry Guy hooking up with Grimace
- An orange enigma gliding silently across the ice
- A weird and scary avatar for a weird and scary time
- Untrustworthy — in a good way
- The friendliest possible incarnation of drunken Philadelphia sports fandom
Designers reveal plans for Graffiti Pier as a waterfront park
When Philly's most-Instagrammed site gets a makeover, it'll look...pretty much the same.
There’s a burst of protests on the Fourth of July in Philadelphia this year
Independence Day doesn’t mean the same thing to all Americans.
Philly local trivia quiz: Can you beat the high score?
24 questions about everything Philadelphia.
A whimsical typewriter garden in Mt. Airy boosts sales and spirits
Pam Rogow of W.P.M. Typewriter Shop creates custom exhibits for each appointment.
Philly police held protesters overnight at decommissioned, ‘inhumane’ House of Corrections
Nearly 50 people were locked in the shuttered jail two years after city officials deemed it unfit for human life.
‘Both sides’ were agitators, says Fishtown police captain at tense community meeting
Earlier in the day, neighborhood organizations attended a training on alternatives to policing.
Some Philly police aren’t wearing masks, and the city won’t enforce the rule
Face coverings have been shown to be an effective tool in fighting the pandemic’s spread.
Philly police punished for offensive Facebook posts are trying to get their jobs back — and so are those who voluntarily resigned
The civilian Police Advisory Commission says it’s been stonewalled trying to investigate.
Mask vending machines launch in Suburban Station, with more PPE dispensers coming soon
You can get hand sanitizer and wipes too, and all cost $3 apiece.
A tour of iconic designer Milton Glaser’s Philadelphia legacy
The visual luminary, who died at 91, created the look of the Franklin Mills Mall and Sesame Place.
Teens skew Philly’s coronavirus count upwards as city reconsiders going to ‘green’
There's now a citywide mandate to wear a mask.
‘It’s unbelievable’: Philly’s Black-owned businesses see boost thanks to worldwide social justice protests
Three woman entrepreneurs say they’re thrilled with the trend — and hope it lasts.
Safehouse drops South Philly plans, looks to Kensington after judge suspends launch
Judge McHugh hasn't changed his opinion on the injection site's public health benefits.
Philly Uber drivers worry they’ll have to choose between personal health and negative ratings
Some rideshare companies haven’t mandated mask-wearing, and gig worker benefits expire soon.
She turned a bus into a luxe mobile nail salon, and Philly customers are loving it
As a Black woman business owner, Keesha Brown said, the surge of support is not the norm.
Kenney, Outlaw admit they were wrong about 676 protest tear-gassing, officers involved to be fired
The deputy in charge that day took a voluntary demotion, and there’s now a moratorium on tear gas use by Philly police.
Philly Marathon under fire for appropriating ultrarunner’s 76-mile perimeter idea
Supporters of Michael "Gagz" Gagliardi are incensed the city didn't give him any credit.
5 concrete ways employers can uplift Philadelphia’s Black workforce
Examine your hiring practices, deepen community engagement and commit to providing support.
Everything we know about the feds’ case against the Philly protester charged with torching police cars
Lore-Elizabeth Blumenthal is currently being held without bail.
Two of Philly’s unique Black history institutions are fundraising to survive
The Colored Girls Museum and the Paul Robeson House have joined forces to raise $100k.