‘NOT it’: Some fans cry foul over new Toronto Tempo mascots

The Toronto Tempo of the WNBA revealed their much-anticipated mascots at a game Tuesday, but many fans aren’t rushing to give them a hug.

Dez the snapping turtle and Dot the Arctic hare move at different tempos — they’re a reference to Aesop’s fable about a race between the two animals. In fact, the only thing they have in common is that they’re both mascots for Canada’s only WNBA team. 

Like many mascots, they have elaborate backstories.

Dez (short for decibel), from Muskoka, is cool-headed and likes music, soft-shell tacos, and is a Taurus. Dot (short for Toronto’s 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’s stomping grounds. 

They realized they were perfect for each other.

“The two quickly discovered a shared love of rhythm — even if they approached it very differently. Dez brought patience and timing; Dot brought speed and fearless energy,” the Tempo said in a news release.

“Eventually, the pulse of Toronto drew them both to the city.”

But, as with many new fuzzy brand ambassadors, their home city hasn’t immediately welcomed them.

“These are some of the corniest, most poorly designed mascots I’ve ever seen in sports,” reads one comment on the team’s Instagram post.

Another commenter on Instagram feels that the Raptor, the Toronto Raptors mascot, is superior.

“Why did the boys get a dinosaur and we got characters from a children’s colouring book???!” they said. 

But one Reddit user recalls that there was a time when the Raptor wasn’t held in high esteem.

“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.

Some found the mascots’ faces unsettling.

“I don’t like how Dot is looking at me,” wrote one Reddit user.

“They’re just … staring into my soul,” wrote another. “Cool concept but those faces are NOT it.”

Whitney Bell, the Tempo’s chief marketing officer, said in the news release that the mascots’ home country is an important part of their identity.

“From the beginning, we wanted our mascots to feel distinctly Tempo — rooted in who we are as a Canadian team,” she said.

But some online critics feel the mascots aren’t sufficiently Canadian or Torontonian, with many saying the team should have gone with a beaver or a raccoon.

“These mascots appear to be chosen by an American who knows nothing about Toronto. A beaver and a raccoon would have been perfect choices,” said one Reddit user.

The Tempo has not yet responded to an email inquiry from CBC News on criticism of the mascots.

Not everyone was so harsh.

 “I lowkey like this — the tortoise and the hare vibes. I love the imagery,” wrote one Facebook user.

“10/10 would die for them,” wrote a Reddit user.

Fans have also speculated about the nature of their relationship and their sexuality — including whether they’re dating.

But it’s not meant to be, according to TSN Toronto Tempo beat reporter Chelsea Leite.

“I can confirm per sources that Dez and Dot, the Tempo mascots, are neither siblings OR dating. Just besties,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The franchise could use any luck their new mascots can bring. The Tempo are 10–25 so far in their inaugural season and are on a 12-game losing streak. Their loss to the Washington Mystics on Wednesday eliminated them from playoff contention.