Look at it. Just look at that thing. The monobrow, the colourless eyeballs, its listless, open-mouthed gawp. That’s the new football mascot of Glasgow’s Partick Thistle FC. Yes, that thing that looks like Lisa Simpson if Homer and Marge were brother and sister.
We’re not quite sure how the appointment of this mascot came about, nor how many people greenlit its design before it became the official face of the football club, but if Partick Thistle were looking to terrify their club’s fans (and, now that their announcement has gone viral on Twitter, the rest of the UK) then they have certainly succeeded.
The mascot was designed by David Shrigley, the Turner Prize-nominated artist who was brought in after the club signed a six-figure sponsorship deal with US investment firm Kingsford Capital. In fact, the company’s manager Mike Wilkins first learned of the club after Shrigley, who is based in Glasgow, told him of them.
Also See: London Bridge Turns Into a Rainbow Road to Brighten Up Commuters’ Monday
“I had been looking for an opportunity to get involved with something like this in the UK for a while but hadn’t been able to find the right match,” Wilkins said. “When I got talking to David Shrigley about Partick Thistle it seemed like it could be the perfect fit. The next step for me was to speak directly to the club.”
The new deal will see Kingsford Capital’s logo, which has also been designed by Shrigley, appear on the club’s shirts for the next two years. If you were thinking that maybe the logo would be more sensible and befitting of a football club, then you’ll be pleased to know that, nope, it’s just as silly as its mascot.
The new Partick Thistle mascot and logo will make their way onto the pitch next season. If you’re a Glaswegian and aren’t too impressed with the club’s aesthetic choices, then you might feel better knowing that at least they inspired the below tweet, sent to David Shrigley and Partick Thistle after the unveiling of the mascot on Twitter:
@ThistleTweet @davidshrigley ah, fuck it, thistle do
— Si Hood (@bicyclekicks) June 22, 2015
A masterpiece.
