T.C. Bear Explained

T.C. Bear
Team:	Minnesota Twins
Website:	Official website
First:	April 3, 2000
Related Mascots:	Twinkie
Name Origin:	Twin Cities
Description:	Bear

T.C. Bear, or simply T.C., is the costumed character mascot for the Minnesota Twins. Taking the form of an anthropomorphized American black bear, the furry mascot’s initials "T.C." stand for the Twin Citiesthe metropolitan area of Minneapolis and Saint Pauland match the interlocking letters on the team's primary cap insignia. T.C. makes appearances at the team’s home games at Target Field and at community events.

History

The Minnesota Twins franchise of Major League Baseball briefly had a mascot from 1980 to 1981, a loon named "Twinkie".^[1] T.C. Bear was first introduced to the team's fans on April 3, 2000, at the beginning of the Twin's 2000 season.^[2] The mascot character is loosely modeled after the Hamm's Beer Bear, a mascot used in advertisements for Hamm's Brewery, an early sponsor for the Twins. The bear character was also chosen for its appeal to children.

The original person who portrayed T.C. was fired after the 2019 season.^[3] For the 2021 Major League Baseball season, two new actors (who were said to play T.C. the year before but only made minor appearances due to the COVID-19 pandemic not allowing fans inside the stadium) started portraying him full time and his mouth slightly changed and his tongue is less visible.^[4]

Legacy

The team installed a statue in 2014 of T.C. outside of Target Field where the team plays.^[5] T.C. was a candidate for inclusion in the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2020, but finished third in voting to the Oriole Bird and Youppi! who were inducted.^[6]

See also

• History of the Minnesota Twins
• List of Major League Baseball mascots

Further reading

• Varda, Maija (June 3, 2017). "Deadspin thinks TC Bear is the 52nd best mascot in pro-sports: Which is total crap, because the Minnesota Twins mascot has deeper roots in local culture than 99% of mascots". SB Nation. Retrieved September 12, 2023. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023.

External links

• Official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Park . Do-Hyoung . January 7, 2021 . How the Twins settled on mascot T.C. Bear . September 12, 2023 . . en.
2. Web site: February 16, 2023 . Mascot Database: T.C. Bear . September 13, 2023 . . en-US.
3. Web site: October 16, 2019 . Minnesota Twins Part Ways With Man Behind 'T.C. Bear' Mascot . February 13, 2022 . . en-US.
4. Web site: Paul . Walsh . February 4, 2020 . Twins hire not one but two people to be mascot T.C. Bear . February 13, 2022 . Star Tribune.
5. Web site: Walsh . Paul . June 8, 2014 . Target Field statue unveiled for Twins iron man, er, bear . September 12, 2023 . Star Tribune.
6. Web site: Meet the Hall of Famers . September 13, 2023 . Mascot Hall of Fame.