Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff
Sean Ma, in character as the Lowell Spinners’ “Canaligator” mascot at a Liam Nation-Tewksbury Youth Baseball event last month, first put on the suit as a Spinners intern.
Sean Ma can start to overheat after more than an hour in the Canaligator mascot costume. That’s the downside of being a 6-foot-4 fuzzy green alligator with a huge yellow snout. But the adoring fans and cheering crowds are the fun part of being a mascot for the Lowell Spinners minor league baseball team. Ma spoke to Globe correspondent Cindy Atoji Keene about life as a mascot.
“The first time I wore the Canaligator mascot outfit, it was a little more confining than I thought it would be. Visibility is very limited; I can only see out of the snout. If my movements aren’t exaggerated, the costume will obscure what I’m doing. I need to be very energetic — no one wants to see a mascot who just stands there and doesn’t really move. Mascots should be larger than life.
“It took some practice to learn to run and do stunts like falling without doing damage to myself or the costume. It can be a demanding task to dance and hop around; I’ve had it exceed over 110 degrees inside the costume. The head can get really stinky, but we Febreze everything between wearings.
“Some kids are terrified of the Canaligator — imagine a giant stuffed creature walking toward you. But most love it. Who doesn’t get excited when an alligator shows up, except maybe dogs, which I generally avoid because they start to bark and bark. And once a dog actually peed on me. Such are the perils of this role.
“But being a mascot at a baseball game is more important than you might think — it’s the visible representation of the Lowell Spinners team. We’re there to make sure that fans are entertained and happy, and we also go on goodwill missions to charity events and other functions.
“During the game, the Canaligator is on the field or walking around the concourse meeting fans and taking photos. Along with the two other mascots — the Allie-Gator, my wife, and Millie-Gator, the daughter — we rotate appearances during the innings, staying downstairs in the storage shed to cool down.
“I first became a mascot as a marketing intern at the Spinners, and since I really love baseball, I enjoy being the Canaligator. On a typical Canaligator day, my alarm clock even wakes me up with ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame.’ And by game time, I’m raring to go.”
Cindy Atoji Keene can be reached at cindy.atoji@gmail.com.
