Phillies file suit to prevent losing the Phanatic in 2020

[VoteForKalas]

These changes are instead of reaching a settlement with the creators?

Please, how stupid. Just pay them - the Phillies are a multi-billion dollar organization and have made boatloads of money off the Phanatic over the 35 years. Talk about cutting off one's nose to spite their face.

[BostonRoss]

The Phanatic has quite a nose to cut off...

[zambonir]

I find that speculation to be a little flimsy, even tho Salisbury seemed to say he had a source. I feel like it might just be a normal freshening up, which has happened several times before. If the designers - I wouldn't call them creators, like I said before, that's really Dave Raymond - have a good case, new sneakers or a slightly different head isn't going to change the quality of their case. A judge would just laugh at that.

Like SF said earlier it's just a normal legal dispute where they'll eventually settle on a figure. The Phillies are not going to pay more than they think they have to... just like with their players.

[Philsmania]

Not terrible but I'm not crazy about it either.

The first look at the 'new' Phillie Phanatic

[Dirk41]

He's too thin. Like Chase Utley at the end of the season

[tom81]

I don’t like the shorter snout.

[Dirk41]

And the purple is much lighter than before.

[zambonir]

Some if it is kind of cool but yeah the snout is weird. This really does feel more like a normal rebrand (especially since he's no longer the hippest mascot in town) than a legal strategy. I don't think it changes the issues that are already in dispute (the copyright laws and old contracts themselves, and the interplay between concept, design and execution in terms of who really "created" the character) though I bet the Phillies filed new copyrights for some of these specific design elements, if they could.

By next year we'll forget what the old Phanatic looked like. I wonder if they just wanted to make the costume lighter too.

[Dirk41]

The stars on the eyes are dumb.

[fish]

dumb.

It looks like part of an Elton John costume. Hard to imagine this would have tested well if they put it in front of a Philadelphia audience.

[BostonRoss]

The stars on the eyes are dumb.

He’s a juke box hero.

[schillingfan]

So couldn’t see the stars on my iPad, but stars are for Texas and the cowboys. No stars

[zambonir]

Betsy Ross might disagree

[zambonir]

nice update to the header @julio

[Jazzhead]

I was hoping to see the return of the Apostate Red Phanatic.

It would be interesting to see the specific description of the Phanatic for trademark purposes. Some of the changes may relate to altering the Phantic's looks in light of that description. Like the scales under the arms - perhaps he's now some sort of dinosaur or mutant chicken from Bikini Atoll rather than a flightless bird from the Galapogous Islands.

[Philsmania]

It should be noted that this is not the first time the Phanatic has been tinkered with. See the original Phanatic below.

[zambonir]

For sure, while the lawsuit seems to have some relevance, this kind of retooling is as normal as changing up logos and uniforms, and they get to see new merch, etc.

Even though I don't love how it all looks I think the tinkering with the wings and scales is pretty clever in terms of the Phanatic's supposed "species" and backstory. He's evolved.

[Philsmania]

No offense to anyone but the brighter tail and eyelashes almost make him look a bit effeminate but he's always had certain effeminate qualities though.

[Lawman]

Designers of Phillie Phanatic call new Phanatic an 'affront' to Phils fans

[zambonir]

What I can't tell from that story is, have they been working for the Phillies for free, essentially, from 1984 to 2018, having been paid a lump sum for creating the character, or was that work paid separately? Not that it probably matters to the fundamental question.

“For more than 40 years, we have worked closely with the Phillies, making all the Phanatic costumes, providing artwork and ideas until June of 2018.

I feel like this could backfire on the Phillies, their intent seems to be to establish leverage by saying, "instead of paying you to use your character we're going to change the character enough so that it's not yours," thereby forcing them into a settlement. But the message it actually sends is, "we concede the character is yours so you should probably hold out for more money or a trial."