Philly sports mascots have a special place in the hearts of fans, and occasionally they show up at a wedding, writes Erin McCarthy for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The mascots can be hired for a few hundred dollars at a couple’s wedding, either by the couple themselves or by relatives and friends.

Fans will rally around mascots and teams even as players come and go. 

“The loyalty is always to the school or the team, and the mascot is the emblem,” said Lawrence Cohen, an associate clinical professor of sports business at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business.

Mascots have evolved from a time when you’d only see them on the field doing antics for a couple of minutes. Now they are enhancing the team’s brand.

The growth in mascot popularity includes college teams. Temple University has seen more requests recently for its mascot, Hooter the Owl, to show up at off-campus events, especially weddings.

Hooter actually outstripped the Villanova Wildcat for appearances—at 42 off-campus events. Penn State’s Nittany Lion saw about 40 off-campus events last year.

Social media is also helping to make the mascots more visible at weddings and other functions.

Find out more about Philly sports mascot appeal in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Check out this mascot camp in this video from 11 years ago on Voice of America.