The creators of the beloved Phillies Phanatic on Thursday insisted they won’t back down after being sued over copyright ownership of the furry green mascot.
“While we very much want the Phanatic to remain the Phillies mascot, we will not yield to this lawsuit tactic,” said the creator’s designers and copyright holders Bonnie Erickson and Wayde Harrison. “We intend to respond to it and win.”
The Philadelphia Phillies sued the duo last week in Manhattan federal court, claiming the artists are threatening to pluck away their 41-year-old long-beaked fan — unless the team agrees to pay Erickson and Harrison millions of dollars and renegotiate their 1984 copyright.
Yet Erickson — who created Miss Piggy for the Jim Henson Company — and Harrison say they don’t want to deprive the team and its fans of the character.
“His value has grown with his popularity, and we felt that the Phillies franchise never offered a reasonable payment to extend the Phanatic’s license,” the artists say. “Instead, we were sued by the franchise.”
They go on to say that they recognize the girthy biped has become “a huge part of the fabric of Philadelphia,” since his creation more than 40-years ago at the Phillies’ request.
“Over the decades since, we have taken care of him, even patching him back together when he needed it, and have had a good, professional relationship with the Phillies. We feel like he is part of our family,” said the designers.
The Phantic’s copyright is set to expire in June 2020. The parties are scheduled to appear in court October 11.
The Phillies’ lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


