Whatever Happened To The San Diego Chicken?

Wednesday night, July 7th at Wrigley Field marks the special appearance of a baseball legend with roots in the San Diego Padres organization. It isn't Tony Gwynn, Ozzie Guillen, or Ozzie Smith. It isn't Dave Winfield or Jake Peavy. The man making a stop at Wrigley Field tomorrow night (as part of a minor league game made possible by the traveling Chicago Cubs) is actually part man, part chicken. He is none other than Ted Giannoulas--better known to baseball fans as the San Diego Chicken. 

For 36 years now, Giannoulas has been dressing up in his chicken suit and entertaining baseball fans across the country with his antics. The story, life, and times of Giannoulas, now 56 years old, is not unlike a VH-1 "Behind The Music" episode. 

Giannoulas was a college student attending San Diego State in 1974 where he agreed to wear the Chicken suit for a radio station as part of a promotional gig (handing candy out to kids at a local zoo). After the promotional stunt, Giannoulas volunteered to attend a Padre's game in Chicken costume as a team mascot. One week's worth of volunteering turned into a 3 year run of Chicken entertainment as mascot for the Padres. But it wasn't always beautiful. 

During the first 3 years, the Chicken wore a shabby costume consisting of a paper mache' head and polyester-like red cloths to represent feathers (pictured to the left) that looked very different from the Chicken suit to which he is most commonly recognized today. Some even reported that the original costume frightened young children. Working for a radio station, the Chicken's early years involved a range of publicity stunts outside of baseball such as delivering water melons to beach sites, handing out free concert tickets, and giving away record albums to people. During this era, the Chicken made stage appearances at rock concerts at the San Diego Sports Arena with artists including Paul McCartney and even Elvis. 

Giannoulas continued to develop and expand his Chicken act through the late 70's, which apparently began to create programming conflicts with his radio station employer, KGB. With tensions rising, Giannoulas was fired by KGB in 1977. The station hired a replacement Chicken for Giannoulas after his dismissal. However, many loyal fans of Giannoulas (who knew he had been fired) booed the replacement Chicken loudly. The radio station even went to court to block Giannoulas from ever working in a Chicken costume again. However, a California Supreme Court ruled in the favor of Giannoulas, which set the stage for a triumphant return. 

In June 1979, inside a giant Styrofoam egg paraded around Jack Murphy Stadium on a truck circling the warning track, Giannoulas hatched out of the egg in an updated, brightly colored Chicken suit (the same costume he still wears today) with the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme playing in the background. This appearance, which is often referred to as the "Grand Hatching", received thunderous applause and a standing ovation from the 47,000 people in attendance. 

The Chicken was back. He went on to even bigger stages, appearing in major league baseball stadiums across the country throughout the 1980's. In his hey day, he would typically make 250 appearances in a year. He once worked for a stretch of 520 consecutive Padre home games. His signature gag during the 80's at major league baseball stadiums: harassing umpires with an eye chart. From 1980 to 1983, he costarred with Johnny Bench on "The Baseball Bunch" television show. He made an appearance at Wrestle Mania XV in 2000. Giannoulas has visited 8 countries, 4 continents, and all 50 states as the Chicken. 

At the age of 56, Giannoulas' stamina as the Chicken is starting to wind down some. Ironically, the opportunities to present are not what they once were due to the Chicken's profound influence on sports team marketing. Every professional team seems to have their own version of the San Diego Chicken these days. Giannoulas now makes approximately 50 appearances a year between spring and summer. No longer performing in front of 50,000 fans in a 1970's cookie cutter baseball stadium, the Chicken now plays in front of 7 or 8,000 people at minor league baseball stadiums scattered across the country.  

Giannoulas' influence as the San Diego Chicken in American sports entertainment and marketing can never be overstated. His success paved the way for mascots throughout professional sports. Additionally, he was the first mascot to use popular recorded music (instead of just an organ) at games. He was also the first mascot to entertain fans during game breaks such as half innings. 35 years later, professional sports stadiums are bombarding their fans with music, scoreboard games, and their own mascots during what seems every moment of a play stoppage. While some of these influences have turned to excess, the brilliant innovation behind the ideas and gimmicks belongs to Giannoulas. Without the San Diego Chicken, there would be no Philly fanatic, Phoenix Gorilla, or countless other mascots in professional sports. 

So if you have a chance to get out to Wrigley Field tomorrow night, enjoy the sparse crowd and minor league prices of admission, food, and drink. But also enjoy the entertainment and  legacy of Ted Giannoulas' San Diego Chicken. 

Also, check out the "Grand Hatching" on youtube. Great stuff. I'll try to post it later. 

The following sources contributed to this post:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2009399864_chicken30.html

www.famouschicken.com/biography.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_San_Diego_Chicken