In honor of National Mascot Day, I thought it would be a treat to look back at the history of White Sox mascots.  After purchasing the team in 1981, Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn looked to upgrade the team’s marketing and community relations efforts.  One of those moves was to hire the same firm that designed the Phillie Phanatic to come up with modern mascots for the White Sox.  Ribbie, a purple anteater, and Roobarb, whatever he was supposed to be, debuted in September of 1981 and, as with most things involving Jerry Reinsdorf and company, the introduction of the pair was tainted with controversy: the removal of Andy the Clown.

While never an official mascot or team employee, Andy Rozdilsky had been appearing at Comiskey Park in a clown costume since 1960, usually given free admission by the ushers.  He would wander the stands, yelling “Cooooommeeee Onnnnnnn Youuuuuu Whiiiiiiiite Soxxxxxxxxxxx!” and had a nose that would light up whenever a child shook his hand. On the day Ribbie and Roobarb were introduced, Andy the Clown was told he had to pay his own way into the ballpark.  The controversy tainted the new mascots in many fans’ minds, and they were retired following the 1988 season.

In 2004, the team introduced a new mascot, the fuzzy green dude himself, Southpaw.  He has been a fixture on the South Side ever since, and has resonated with fans, young and old alike, in ways his predecessors didn’t, which has enabled him to endure for over 22 seasons.