SEPTA Catches Philadelphia's Mascot Fever

Stephanie Farr cuts right to the chase with the lede of this story:

This is the story of what happens when a public transit agency asks the public for help picking a new mascot. And that public is the city of Philadelphia.

Spoiler: It does not end well.

In case you missed it, mascots are all the rage in Philadelphia these days, after the Philadelphia Fliers NHL team revealed its new mascot, Gritty, to nationwide attention. SEPTA put out a call for mascot ideas for the transit system on Twitter, and the sarcasm and meme making that followed is enough to fill on off-peak headway's worth of time.

Our favorite meme came from SEPTA's current mascot, Paws, the safety dog, who is apparently out of a job.

When you hear @SEPTAPHILLY is “looking for a mascot” pic.twitter.com/oHM73d5KMg

— Paws (@Transit_Dog) October 1, 2018