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Youppi (sometimes branded as Youppi!) ( or , French for Yippee!) is the official mascot for the
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
, and former longtime mascot of the
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...
. Youppi wears an "!" instead of a jersey number.


History

Youppi, a creation of Acme Mascots, Inc. (a division of Harrison/Erickson, Inc.), was commissioned by
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...
vice-president Roger D. Landry. Originally leased by the
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
team in 1979, the
mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...
was eventually purchased by the Expos and represented them until they moved to Washington, D.C., after the 2004 season. With instructions from Landry and Rodger Brulotte, Youppi was designed by Bonnie Erickson, formerly a designer for
Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, actor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known for creating ''Fraggle Rock'' ( ...
, and the designer of Miss Piggy,
Statler and Waldorf Statler and Waldorf are a pair of The Muppets, Muppet characters from the sketch comedy television series ''The Muppet Show'', best known for their overly negative opinions and their tendency to Heckler, heckle people. The two elderly men fi ...
and other Muppet characters. Its orange color was chosen as a reference to
Rusty Staub Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub (April 1, 1944 – March 29, 2018) was an American professional baseball player and television color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball for 23 seasons as a right fielder, designated hitter, and first base ...
, a former player for the Expos. The orange, hairy giant was a popular figure at
Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...
prior to the Expos' relocation to Washington, D.C.


Notoriety

Youppi was the first mascot to be thrown out of a
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
game. During the 1989 Expos season, on August 23 while atop the visitors' dugout in the 11th
inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...
, Youppi took a running leap, landing hard and noisily on its roof, and then sneaked into a front row seat.
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
manager Tommy Lasorda complained to the umpires and Youppi was ejected by Bob Davidson, though he later returned, confined to the home team's dugout roof, as Montreal eventually lost 1–0 in 22 innings. Youppi was also a frequent joke punchline of notoriously sarcastic
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
broadcaster Skip Caray. Youppi was also referenced by pitcher Bill Lee during interviews in Ken Burns's ''
Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
'' documentary. Youppi is one of only three mascots featured as displays at the
Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
. The others are the
Phillie Phanatic The Phillie Phanatic is the official mascot for the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team. He is a large, furry, green bird with an extendable tongue. He performs various routines to entertain fans during baseball games at Citizens Ban ...
of
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, another design by Erickson, and the Famous Chicken from
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. The Montreal-based political cartoonist Terry Mosher, better known as "Aislin", depicted or referenced Youppi on several occasions, including a prescient 1988 cartoon drawn at a time when the Expos were having a poor season and depicting then-general manager of the Canadiens Serge Savard receiving a phone call from Youppi, presumably seeking employment. Youppi was voted to the
Mascot Hall of Fame The Mascot Hall of Fame was an interactive children's museum for sports mascots between 2018 and 2024. It was founded by David Raymond, who was the original Phillie Phanatic from 1978 to 1993. Each year (beginning in 2005), mascots are elected ...
in December 2019, and was inducted in June 2020. Youppi is the first mascot of a Canadian team to receive the honor.


From baseball to hockey

After the Expos moved to Washington, D.C., and became the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
, the Nationals initially stated that Youppi would still be a part of the team in some capacity. However, the team adopted a new mascot, the
eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
" Screech". For months after the move, the fate of Youppi hung in the balance. Negotiations were held with ten groups, including the
Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...
. On September 16, 2005, the
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
announced that Youppi would become the first official mascot of the organization, and the first mascot to ever switch between any two major sports leagues in North America. Prior to Youppi, the Canadiens had no mascot. The terms of acquisition were reportedly in the six figures. Youppi now sports the Canadiens' ''bleu-blanc-rouge'' (blue, white, and red) jersey. Youppi's first game in the Bell Centre was on October 18, 2005. On February 19, 2012, at the Canadiens' first home game after the death of Montreal Expos great
Gary Carter Gary Edmund Carter (April 8, 1954 – February 16, 2012) was an American professional baseball catcher whose 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career was spent primarily with the Montreal Expos and New York Mets. Nicknamed "Kid" for his youth ...
, Youppi wore the Expos colours in Carter's memory. On May 16, 2014, on the eve of the Canadiens series against the
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals, New York City native
Jimmy Fallon James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an Americans, American comedian, television host, actor, singer, writer, and producer. Best known for his work in television, Fallon's breakthrough came during his tenure as a cast member on the ...
, the host of NBC's '' Tonight Show'', which is taped in New York, made a bet with the Montreal Canadiens that if they won the series, Fallon would wear a Montreal jersey during his opening monologue. However, if the Rangers won the series, Youppi would have to wear a Rangers jersey around Montreal and post at least ten pictures of him doing so on the Canadiens' Twitter account and also change their avatar to a pic of Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist playing guitar. The Rangers won the series on May 29 in six games. As such, on June 1, the Canadiens honoured their bet and a dejected Youppi was photographed around Montreal in a Rangers jersey with Fallon's name on the back, and the last photo, as Fallon stated, featured him riding the mechanical bull at Montreal bar Chez Serge.


METAL!

In 2022, to promote the team's reverse retro jerseys, the team created METAL!, a heavy-metal-obsessed blue creature, who claims to have been Youppi's "twin brother", and have been the Canadiens mascot from 1979 to 1993, even though there is no evidence of the latter statement. According to the Habs' announcement, METAL! seemed to have fallen asleep in an ice machine in the
Montreal Forum Montreal Forum () is a historic building located facing Cabot Square, Montreal, Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by ''Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as the home o ...
basement after a party celebrating the Stanley Cup win in 1993, and only emerged in the summer of 2022, when the thing was unearthed during renovations. METAL! was retired ahead of the
2024–25 NHL season The 2024–25 NHL season is the ongoing 108th season of operation (107th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The regular season started on October 4, 2024, when the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils played the first of two ga ...
.


Youppi portrayers

In the 26 seasons that Youppi was working with the Expos, only 5 men portrayed the mascot: Denis Desaulniers, Jean-Claude Tremblay, Claude Hubert, Jean-Simon Bibeau and Sylvain Ouellette.


Denis Desaulniers (1979–1983)

Denis Desaulniers was the first to wear the costume following the shift from Souki to Youppi. Inspired by the popularity and irreverence of the San Diego Chicken, Desaulniers auditioned for and received the part at 25 years old. During his career as Youppi, Desaulniers strived to create a warm soul and fun-loving attitude for the character. Desaulniers also introduced one of Youppi's most iconic moves: punching himself in the nose. He claims this was to stay in character while adjusting the head of the costume so he could see. Underneath the head of the mascot, he wore a motorcycle helmet with a thick layer of styrofoam to protect his head, which would cause the mascot's head to fall forward frequently.


Jean-Claude Tremblay (1983–1985)

Jean-Claude Tremblay had his first interaction with the Expos after being hired to fix the mascot's costume. At the time, Tremblay was doing corporate mascot gigs to make ends meet while working full-time at his brother's art shop. Once the Expos' team discovered Tremblay's talents as a mascot, he was offered the opportunity to succeed Desaulniers. Tremblay was responsible for many changes to Youppi's costume, including more securely-attached eyes and a swap from the scruffy old material to washable parts following complaints (including his own) of the mascot's smell. After 3 seasons, Tremblay surrendered his role as Youppi to focus on his real passion: creating mascots. As of 2023, he is one of the most prominent mascot manufacturers in North America, credited with creating mascots such as the Tampa Bay Ray's Raymond and the Indianapolis Colt's Blue.


Claude Hubert (1985–1991)

Claude Hubert was involved with mascots for around 20 years; he worked for many Canadian sports teams, such as the Montreal Dragons and the Montreal Machine. As Youppi, Hubert was responsible for the first and only incident wherein a mascot was expelled from a Major League Baseball game. As Youppi, Hubert hopped on top of the away team's dugout during an Expos v. Dodgers game and, following continued antics, was confronted by Tommy Lasorda. (Hubert claims to have already known of Lasorda's distaste for mascots following his infamous "tussle" with the Philly Phanatic.) After the scuffle began to escalate, Bob Davidson, the umpire during that game, made the decision to eject Youppi, who was eventually readmitted following chants from the crowd and a promise to remain on the Expos' side of the field.


Jean-Simon Bibeau (1988–1990, 2003–present)

This was not Bibeau's first experience with athletic recognition, as he was already holding a USA NCAA record for goals scored in a season while playing hockey with the Plattsburg Cardinals at this time. By 1995, Bibeau directed all of Youppi's activities for the Expos, and would continue following Youppi's transition from baseball with the Expos to hockey with the Montreal Canadiens to the present day. Bibeau shared the full responsibilities of Youppi with Hubert.


Sylvain Ouellette (1996–2003)

The last to portray Youppi during his time as a baseball mascot, Sylvain Ouellette was previously working as an entertainer at nightclubs. While working in nightclubs, he met Vincent Guy Aubry, a DJ who often worked at the Olympic Stadium during Expos games. After hearing the Expos were looking for a mascot, Aubry mentioned Ouellette to his superior at the stadium. Although Ouellette was not a baseball fan at the time, his love and passion for entertaining landed him the job. During the Expos' two seasons in Puerto Rico, Ouellette proved especially valuable due to his Spanish proficiency and experience with Latin dancing and culture.


See also

* List of National Hockey League mascots *
List of Major League Baseball mascots This is a list of current and former Major League Baseball mascots, sorted alphabetically. The tradition in the Major League Baseball mascot began with Mr. Met, introduced for the New York Mets when Shea Stadium opened in 1964. Although some masc ...


References


External links


Official Youppi websiteYouppi
{{authority control Major League Baseball team mascots National Hockey League team mascots Montreal Expos Sport in Montreal Montreal Canadiens Mascots introduced in 1979 Canadian mascots Cartoon mascots Fictional characters from Montreal Culture of Montreal 1979 establishments in Quebec