The Toronto Tempo of the WNBA revealed their much-anticipated mascots at a game Tuesday, but many fans aren\u2019t rushing to give them a hug.<\/p>\n
Dez the snapping turtle and Dot the Arctic hare move at different tempos \u2014 they\u2019re a reference to Aesop\u2019s fable about a race between the two animals. In fact, the only thing they have in common is that they\u2019re both mascots for Canada\u2019s only WNBA team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Like many mascots, they have elaborate backstories.<\/p>\n
Dez (short for decibel), from Muskoka, is cool-headed and likes music, soft-shell tacos, and is a Taurus. Dot (short for Toronto\u2019s nickname T-Dot), from the Arctic, has a lot of energy, likes cotton candy and the Netflix F1 documentary series Drive to Survive, and is a Gemini. The two met when Dot followed the northern lights south to Dez\u2019s stomping grounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe two quickly discovered a shared love of rhythm \u2014 even if they approached it very differently. Dez brought patience and timing; Dot brought speed and fearless energy,\u201d the Tempo said in a news release.<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually, the pulse of Toronto drew them both to the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
But, as with many new fuzzy brand ambassadors, their home city hasn't immediately welcomed them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are some of the corniest, most poorly designed mascots I\u2019ve ever seen in sports,\u201d reads one comment on the team\u2019s Instagram post.<\/p>\n
Mystics hand Tempo 12th straight loss, officially eliminating Toronto from playoff contention<\/p>\n
BJ Birdy is back with the Blue Jays. That's news to its creator<\/p>\n
Another commenter on Instagram feels that the Raptor, the Toronto Raptors mascot, is superior.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did the boys get a dinosaur and we got characters from a children\u2019s colouring book???!\u201d they said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But one Reddit user recalls that there was a time when the Raptor wasn't held in high esteem.<\/p>\n
"Do you have any idea how much hate the Raptors mascot got when it was first revealed? It was literally non-stop Barney jokes for years," they wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't like how Dot is looking at me,\u201d wrote one Reddit user.<\/p>\n