What exactly is the Houston Astros mascot? Why does Houston have a large, furry green alien running around Minute Maid Park?
Around the time that the Houston Astros decided to make the move from the National League over to the American League, they also made another equally important choice: to revive an old mascot.
In 2012, Houston decided to move on from the mascot they had at the time and bring back an old friend. Houston’s mascot, for years, had been Junction Jack, a large, anthropomorphic rabbit. But before that large bunny was Orbit, a similarly large, fuzzy alien.
And Orbit is the mascot you see with Houston today.
Orbit, and pretty much everything about Houston’s imagery and sports history, draws inspiration from the city of Houston’s connection to America’s space program. With NASA being located in the “Space City,” folks in Houston are proud and celebrate that history in a lot of ways.
That includes having a rotund, green furball with antennae at MLB games.
Houston Astros: What is Orbit, the Astros’ mascot?
Orbit, like many other MLB mascots, tends to poke fun at opposing teams and plays fun pranks. The giant space critter also has published a children’s book, which is actually available to purchase.