Joby Giacalone

Executive Committee Member
Joby Giacalone began his mascotting career as Joe Bear for Lenoir-Rhyne College where he was named one of the top 5 mascots at a UCA Summer Camp in 1981. Before becoming a professional mascot Joby once attended at soccer game in Fort Lauderdale and put on his old college costume and ended up mascotting for the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers for half a season. They never knew his name.

Joby went on to become the original Homer the Dragon for the AAA Charlotte Knights Baseball Club between 1989 and 1993. Then in 1994 Joby made it to the “Show” as Dinger the Dinosaur for the Colorado Rockies during the 1994 and 1995 seasons. Both of these characters were "born" under his care, as he was the first to don the costumes and create the image.

While performing for five seasons in Charlotte he turned Homer into such a popular character that Homer became more popular than most of the players on the teams and more popular than even the local NBA team’s mascot. As Homer, Joby made guest appearances at numerous minor league baseball facilities throughout the east coast. He also appeared regularly at Charlotte Hornets basketball games along with Hugo the Hornet, which he also performed as during the end of the 1990-1991 season for the NBA team. Joby developed "Homer's Heroes", a school program, which helped attendance and kept the presence of the Knights in the community year round. Attendance at the Charlotte Knights home games increased dramatically every year during his time in Charlotte.

While in Colorado Joby helped coordinate the campaign to name the mascot. He introduced the Rockies to the concept of Hospital visits as a method to give back to the community, and made it a practice to visit local hospitals regularly. "Dinger" began to make the minor league circuit in only his first year of existence by visiting all of the Rockies affiliates. "Dinger Claus" was a program designed by Joby that involved the mascot appearing as Santa Claus for photo opportunities at the novelty stores owned by the Rockies. Joby was also invited along with the Phillie Phanatic, to entertain in Puerto Rico, at the Carlos Baerga Celebrity Softball for Charity Tournament in December of 1995.

Since “retiring” after the 1995 baseball season, Joby has developed his new character, Cosmo the Sheepdog. While Cosmo does a few minor league baseball games a year, Joby primarily performs as Cosmo throughout the Charlottesville region mostly for charitable organizations such as Special Olympics, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the University of Virginia’s Children’s Hospital. Joby runs a small mascot consulting service on the side and has run several mascot camps for minor league all-star games. Joby also, wearing the old “Joe Bear” costume from his college days performs four times a year at his children’s elementary as “Woody Bear”.

Mascot Characters performed by Joby Giacalone

Joe Bear - 1981 to 1984 - Lenoir-Rhyne College, Joe the Striker Bear - 1988 - Fort Lauderdale Strikers Soccer Club, Homer the Dragon - 1989 to 1993 - Charlotte Knights Baseball Club, Hugo the Hornet - 1991 - Charlotte Hornets(NBA), Dinger the Dinosaur - 1994 to 1995 - Colorado Rockies Baseball Club(MLB), Cosmo the Sheepdog - 1997 to present - Mascot Consulting, Charlie Bear - 1998 to present - University of Virginia Children’s Hospital