Stuff the Magic Dragon

Stuff the Magic Dragon is the official mascot of the NBA franchise, the Orlando Magic. His name is a play on the song, Puff the Magic Dragon; also, a "stuff" is a slang term for a slam dunk.

Stuff, the Orlando Magic Mascot at ESPN The Weekend 2011

Biography

Stuff the Magic Dragon, the tallest dragon in Orlando's history, has been an integral part of the Magic organization ever since the franchise debuted in the 1989-90 NBA season. He was introduced in a giant egg on Church Street in 1989, where Dave Raymond, the original Philly Phanatic, portrayed him for his "birth". Many think that Stuff is a copy of the Philly Phanatic, but the two mascots were made by the same company, Acme Mascots (Harrison/Erickson), which made many popular mascots including the retired Yankees mascot "Dandy", the Hornets mascot, Hugo, "Youppi!", the Phanatic, K.C. Wolf from the Kansas City Chiefs, and more. He was originally "the Magic's #1 pick in the supplemental dragon back draft, directly out of clown college." Stuff lives in the Dragon's Lair at Orlando's Amway Center and has his own play area, "Stuff's Magic Castle" on the promenade level. He has been entertaining thousands of Magic fans for the past 20 seasons.^[1]

Appearance

Stuff is a neon green dragon with a blue uni-brow, two teeth on his muzzle, antenni with stars on his head, a blue and pink mane that goes from his head to his tail, black shoes with star decorations, and pink wings on the sides of his head and on his arms. Stuff also has yellow party blowers that inflate and deflate that come out of his muzzle that represent "fire" which comes out of dragons' nostrils. He is recognizable with his white Magic jersey with his logo on the front, but also has jerseys that come in black and blue.

Antics

Stuff always comes out on court pre-game to do a skit and toss out t-shirts with him on it. During the game, he often ventures around in the stand and does a few more skits during breaks and between quarters. Most skits can be from a trampoline dunk show (by himself or with the Orlando Magic Flight Crew), a pump-up session with giant signs, break-dancing in the middle of the court or dancing to a song compilation, and more. A special song made for the mascot plays during his entrances, and is only able to be heard at the Magic games. He also makes grand entrances during special events like the playoffs or opening night where he comes down from the rafters on a zip line or bungee. He also has two air-mascot counterparts, Air Stuff and Air Stuff Jr., and has a miniature mascot of him named Mini-Stuff. He gained nationwide popularity when he was featured on "The Tonight Show", hosted by Jimmy Fallon, during a dance off with their mascot, Hashtag the panda, during a week-long special in Orlando.^[2] He also made headlines when he proposed to Kate Upton.^[3]

Stuff is also the host of the annual "Celebrity Mascot Games" that takes place each year at the Amway Center. Each year, many mascots from North America come to Orlando and compete in Olympic-style games while being in different colored teams. The Mascot Games were made for the non-profit organization, "New Hope For Kids", to raise money and attention for them. The games started in 1992 at the old Amway Arena and have continued annually ever since. (However, Stuff did not appear at the Mascot Games in 2011 because of the recent performer being fired and the Celebrity Mascot Games took a hiatus in 2013 due to lack of a new partnership for the company)

Besides putting on crowd-pleasing performances for Orlando fans, Stuff also loves to throw parties and attend gatherings involving other mascots. During his career, he has been seen with many other sports mascots at numerous mascot-oriented events. When Stuff celebrates his birthday, many other NBA mascots come to Amway Center to join him in celebrating. Each year, about 4-5 mascots (locally and across the country) come to Orlando and do opportunities for pictures and meet and greets pre-game and during the game. Stuff and his mascot guests also do special skits, which normally include a mascot dunk show, a halftime skit, and a short number from the mascots' air counterparts. .^[1] Stuff's love of entertaining and being around others has made him popular among Magic fans and mascots alike.

Stuff has recently received even more popularity after the NBA All Star Game's Verizon Slam Dunk Contest, after assisting Magic player Aaron Gordon during the event, ^[4] and after he won the NBA Mascot Conference's Mascot of the Year award in 2016. ^[5]

Blue-Fur Playoff Tradition

During the first round of the Orlando Magic playoffs against the Bobcats in 2010, Stuff jumped down from a bungee during the starting lineup with a surprise. His green fur changed to a light shade of blue. Many opinions ranged from liking to disliking the new color of Stuff at the time, but it was official that he would only turn blue during the playoffs. His blue fur was also prominent in the playoffs against the Celtics so his green fur would not be confused with supporting the opposing team. (Stuff gained some popularity when he flashed one of the Celtics players during a free-throw)

Notes

Stuff was designed based on the Philadelphia Phillies mascot the Phillie Phanatic

External links

• Stuff's Lair
• Magic Blog: Stuff Happens