View source for Squatch

{{Short description|Mascot of the Seattle SuperSonics of the NBA}}
[[File:Squatch2005small.jpg|thumb|right|Squatch in 2005.]]

'''Squatch''' (a derivation of [[Bigfoot|Sasquatch]]) was the team [[mascot]] for the [[Seattle SuperSonics]], a [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) franchise formerly based in [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. Between his 1993 debut and the team's [[Seattle SuperSonics relocation to Oklahoma City|relocation]] to [[Oklahoma City]], [[Oklahoma]], in 2008, Squatch appeared at more than 175 events annually, and was with the organization during their run to the [[1996 NBA Finals]].<ref>{{cite press release|title=SONICS: Sonics Celebrate Squatch's Birthday Sunday|url=http://www.nba.com/sonics/news/squatch_release_080125.html|publisher=Seattle SuperSonics|date=January 25, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080202014406/http://www.nba.com/sonics/news/squatch_release_080125.html|archive-date=February 2, 2008|access-date=October 2, 2015}}</ref>

In 2007, [[Chris Ballew]] of the rock band [[The Presidents of the United States of America (band)|The Presidents of the United States of America]] wrote and performed a song about the mascot.<ref>{{cite video|date=March 10, 2007|title=Chris Ballew - Theme from S.Q.U.A.T.C.H. Song|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVV3tNWEI7A |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/xVV3tNWEI7A |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|medium=YouTube|publisher=FreydNot|access-date=October 2, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> That same year, Squatch attempted to set a [[world record]] with a jump of 30 feet on [[inline skates]], over vehicles owned by NBA players [[Ray Allen]] and [[Robert Swift]].<ref>{{cite web|title=SONICS: Squatch Attempts to Set {{sic|Guin|ess|nolink=y}} World Record|url=http://www.nba.com/sonics/news/squatch_070607.html|publisher=Seattle SuperSonics|date=June 6, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614221751/http://www.nba.com/sonics/news/squatch_070607.html|archive-date=June 14, 2007|access-date=October 2, 2015}}</ref>

The biography of the [[Edmonton Rush|Edmonton Rush Lacrosse Club]]'s [[yeti]] mascot, Slush, describes a history wherein the two characters grew up together in the [[Cascade Mountains]].  Squatch appeared during the Rush's inaugural game to "teach" Slush how to be a professional mascot.

Following the SuperSonics' move to Oklahoma City, the character was retired, and remains part of the intellectual property (name, colors, etc.) that the city of Seattle retained as part of the [[KeyArena]] lease settlement. The character's performer from 1999 to 2008 (Marc Taylor) remains under contract with the relocated team, currently performing as '''[[Rumble the Bison]]''', the [[Oklahoma City Thunder|Thunder]]'s mascot.<ref name=lewis>{{cite web|last=Lewis|first=Mike|title=Post-Sonics, the inner Squatch abides|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/372427_needle28.html|newspaper=[[The Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]|date=July 27, 2008|access-date=October 1, 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071223162519/http://www.nba.com/sonics/mascot/squatch_bio.html Meet Squatch!] at the [[Seattle SuperSonics]]' official website (via the [[Wayback Machine]])
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061024152033/http://www.edmontonrush.com/slush/ Slush's webpage] on the [[Edmonton Rush]] Official Website

{{Seattle SuperSonics}}
{{NBA mascots}}

[[Category:Bigfoot in popular culture]]
[[Category:Seattle SuperSonics]]
[[Category:NBA mascots]]
[[Category:Mammal mascots]]
[[Category:Mascots introduced in 1993]]