3 Reasons The Browns' Chomps Is A Very Good Doggo

When barks and cheers erupt from the Dawg Pound after every big play at Cleveland Browns games, there’s a good chance Chomps, the team’s Labrador mascot, is in the thick of it. While the football experts debate Xs and Os ahead of this season, we got to wondering how Chomps measures up in the mascot world.

David Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic and founder of the Mascot Hall of Fame in Whiting, Indiana, shares three reasons why Chomps is the real mascot MVP (and a very good doggo).

Doggone Crazy

Dogs aren’t exactly unique as mascots, Raymond admits. But few organizations embrace a canine personality like the Browns. While players Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield started the Dawg craze in the ’80s, it has grown into a bone-afied identity for the team. “Chomps overlays with that passion,” Raymond says. “He’s wearing all his colors and going wild and crazy, just like any other fan. It’s a fun thing to watch.”

Youthful Exuberance

Chomps, sporting No. 00 and a toothy grin, really shines with younger Browns fans looking for hugs and high-fives. No surprise, considering his cute, cartoonish appearance and cheerful expression. “Chomps has the look of an energetic puppy rather than a fully grown dog,” says Raymond. “He gets an A for that lovable and huggable feel.”

Pound Puppy

Fictional backstories aren’t just for Disney anymore, as Raymond proved last year with the ultra-viral Gritty mascot he created for the Philadelphia Flyers. While Gritty emerged from beneath the future site of the Wells Fargo Center after some noisy construction, Chomps hails from — where else? — the Dawg Pound. “It’s steeped in both reality and tradition,” Raymond says. “The Dawg Pound story connects with Browns fans. People say, ‘Look, Chomps is just like me.’ ”