The Seattle Kraken revealed its first mascot on Saturday and it actually has something in common with some of our more critical Twitter followers. It should go back under the bridge from where it came.
After a year-long wait, Buoy the Troll was unveiled to the Kraken crowd during its preseason game against the Vancouver Canucks, Saturday.
Buoy rappelled down from the rafters where he was met by mild cheers from a confused Seattle crowd.
To be precise, Buoy is not a sea monster but is monstrous.
According to Kraken commentators, Buoy “lives” in the “caverns” of Climate Pledge Arena. He’s inspired by Seattle’s famous Fremont Troll sculpture, which was first constructed to deter homeless people from sleeping under the bridge.
In the Kraken’s promotional video, rookie forward Morgan Geekie enlists the help of Seattle’s famous mascots — Doppler, Moose, and Sammy — as well as other famous Seattle sports stars to help three young Kraken fans come up with the perfect idea. Opinions are shared and considered until the kids go under the bridge and sit on the Fremont Troll. Then suddenly! It winks and a light bulb goes off.
Oh Buoy, this is going to be good! 😉
Welcome to The Deep, @SEAbuoy! pic.twitter.com/ZNCNfqn4iR
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) October 2, 2022
Buoy has a gap-toothed smile and is reminiscent of a troll doll. His most noticeable feature, at least to me, is his unkempt hairy ears and eyebrows. Though I’m looking forward to what he’s capable of on Twitter.
Kraken mascot Buoy surfaces after years of planning, fan input https://t.co/bJmSmpDeLc
— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) October 2, 2022
According to an NHL.com story by Nicholas Cotsonika, the team focused-group the idea and wanted something that would be beloved by kids and could represent the team in schools and hospitals. It also wanted a mascot that was connected to the Kraken but was not literally a Kraken.
“Many people would have said, ‘Well, it’s obvious it would just be a kraken,'” Katie Townsend, Kraken chief marketing officer, said to NHL.com. “We believe the Kraken lives in the theater of the mind. One of the brand values is its mystery. We don’t want to be a cartoon brand and to have a cartoon kraken represent us.”
This is a quote that clearly cut Gritty deep.
Dang.. I wasn’t even close https://t.co/k4YLSFuzqi
— Gritty (@GrittyNHL) October 2, 2022
Anyways, welcome to our weird world of hockey, Buoy.
yoohoo 👋 pic.twitter.com/wQaPFYm1fx
— Buoy (@SEAbuoy) October 2, 2022
We hope, much like Gritty, you haunt us in our dreams for only a short period of time before showing us what true love really is.
