Earlier this year, comedian John Oliver and the Last Week Tonight team set out to find a minor league baseball club willing to let them revamp its branding with complete creative freedom. The Erie SeaWolves, the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, boldly agreed—despite being told they’d be kept in the dark while Oliver and his crew worked on the rebrand. If that sounds odd, remember: in minor league baseball, no idea is too wild.
On Sunday night, Oliver revealed the result of their efforts—and absolutely no one, including the folks in Erie, could have seen it coming.
For select games, the SeaWolves will now be rebranded as the Erie Moon Mammoths.
So where did the idea of a Moon Mammoth come from? According to MLB.com, it dates back to the summer of 1991 when a scuba diver named George Moon surfaced from Lake Pleasant in Erie County, Pennsylvania, with a nearly three-foot-long bone.
Unbeknownst to him, it was the shoulder blade of a mammoth that had roamed the area over 12,000 years ago. Moon’s find led to further dives that uncovered around 80% of the massive creature’s skeleton—including both tusks.
Even if you don’t know the full backstory, the new merchandise—featuring a sharp new logo—is easy to love.
The Erie Moon Mammoths will make their debut on July 19.
