It’s nearly Mardi Gras, which means one thing in New Orleans — the return of King Cake Baby, the Pelicans mascot designed to strike fear and terror into the hearts of all who cross him.
King Cake Baby made an appearance at a local grocery story this week to take pictures with fans and, as you see in the above video, attempted to give an old woman a heart attack. She’s a stronger person than I, because I would have either ran screaming or punched KCB in the face.
Fun day! Planning our final #PelicansKCB pop-up party for Tuesday…stay tuned for details! pic.twitter.com/3SGPyeiLZV
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 27, 2016
Why is this a mascot for a basketball team named for Pelicans? In New Orleans, King Cake is a tradition, one that includes baking a tiny baby inside the cake. That last sentence is completely insane, but it’s true and why the team employs a man who dresses like this in late-January and early-February every year.
https://twitter.com/NicoleABlum/status/690605991692369920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
King Cake Baby is just one of two Pelicans mascots that will give you night terrors. The team used to have a scary Pelican as a mascot.
The @PelicansNBA are bringing back the old mascot for the playoffs! #KillerPels pic.twitter.com/Yiz8huU9tt
— Jordy Falgout (@jfalgout27) April 16, 2015
But the Pelicans deemed it too scary and switched to something softer.
So @PelicansNBA's Pierre is here. We think @UCF_Knightro would win in a mascot battle pic.twitter.com/yHy0W4U4My
— UCF Women's Hoops (@UCF_WBB) January 10, 2016
Marketing is odd, because everything you just read means someone felt a plush Pelican needed to be made less scary yet also felt it would be a good idea to have a 6-foot baby in a giant crown pounce on unsuspecting elderly people.
(Via For The Win)
