The NHL’s Seattle Kraken unveiled their new mascot on Saturday – Buoy, a troll that lives in the depths of the Climate Pledge Arena.
Buoy made his first appearance before the Kraken’s preseason game against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, slowly lowered to the ice from the ceiling during the brief presentation.
According to the Kraken, Buoy is inspired by the famous Fremont Troll sculpture in Seattle.
Buoy is clearly a hockey player, with his hockey sweater, chipped teeth and wild hair.
He even has an anchor earring hanging from his left ear and a tentacle in his hair.
“He lives under the arena,” said Katie Townsend, Kraken chief marketing officer. “His favorite meal is a piece of shark with a sprig of maple leaf, and he is very much a music guy, and so I think we’ll see lots of dancing, beatbox and grunge inspired by the music scene in Seattle.”
According to the Kraken, Buoy took two years to develop, using internal research, outside help and focus groups.
They wanted something that represented the team, that would be kid-friendly at schools and hospitals.
The Kraken said they never considered adapting Squatch, the mascot of the SuperSonics of the NBA, but Buoy’s hair was certainly inspired by him.
Buoy was a name that “floated to the surface” during the research process and just stuck.