(April 1, 2020, York, Pa.) — Like many teenagers do, DownTown has changed his look!
The York Revolution unveiled today the new look of the team’s loveable mascot DownTown, who was first introduced 13 years ago. Originally intended to be a prominent part of the team’s Opening Day celebrations early next month, the unveiling was moved up in what team officials called a “positive look ahead.”
“We know fans are disappointed by the delays in our season, so we wanted to give them something exciting to look forward to while they wait a bit longer to get their Revs baseball fix,” said Revolution General Manager John Gibson.
Gibson, who has been with the Revolution since the team’s inception and contributed to the original look of the mascot, said the changes to the character were meant to retain his essential features while marking a bold step forward in his evolution.
“There are certain things, like DownTown’s friendly eyes, that fun beak-like nose, and his big feet, that are just essential parts of him, so we were very careful not to tweak those too much,” Gibson said. “Even the changes we made, like his most prominent color, are still in touch with the larger Revolution brand that fans have supported so passionately. We’ve just given him a kind of bold freshening up.”
That prominent color is now the gold of the Revs’ signature blue and gold logo, replacing the blue fur DownTown has sported since his debut. Complimenting that large change are subtle changes in the gradients on DownTown’s face – where the team’s designer lightened parts to bring more focus to the character’s mischievous expression – and on his sporty shoes and his hands, where the blue-green colors were reversed to make DownTown’s wave and fist bumps even brighter.
DownTown’s new jersey features a change that Gibson personally requested.
“As we were getting closer to the final designs, the new DownTown look reminded me of Guy Fieri, with those gold highlights in his hair and goatee,” Gibson said. “I knew we didn’t want to go so far as to rename him Flavortown, but I like Fieri and wanted a little nod to him, so we gave the uniform the Revolution logo with flames coming out of the tailpipe as a nod to some of the flames Guy wears on his shirts and such.”
Speaking of celebrities and food, the team has decided to subtly support a healthier lifestyle. DownTown will lead the way by showing off his own slimmed-down physique going forward.
Asked what prompted the update to DownTown’s look, Gibson pointed back to the mascot’s connections to perhaps baseball’s most infamous mascot, the Philly Phanatic. DownTown’s first designs were created by Dave Raymond, the original Philly Phanatic.
“When the Phillies announced changes to their famous mascot earlier this year, it reminded us of our connections to him – and that DownTown had not had a makeover in all the time we’ve known him,” Gibson explained.
Unlike that of his more well-known counterpart in Philadelphia, however, DownTown’s likeness is wholly owned by the Revolution, making the process of developing his new look and then implementing the changes a more streamlined experience in York.
Gibson said DownTown is very excited to show off his new look, but team officials have told him he’ll have to wait until it is safe again to exchange his famous hi-fives with fans.
“You know, he’s a teenager, so he’s got a lot of energy and wants to hang with his friends,” Gibson added. “But he knows safety comes first, so he’s waiting. He gets it.”