The Toronto Tempo have officially unveiled their new mascots, and Torontonians are already sharing mixed reactions.
The team introduced Dez the Snapping Turtle and Dot the Arctic Hare during Tuesday’s game against the Indiana Fever at Scotiabank Arena.
Dez, who uses she/they pronouns, is a Borealis Blue Snapping Turtle from Muskoka, Ontario. Their name is inspired by decibel, a nod to their love of music and their role as the more measured half of the duo. Dez is calm, clever and always thinking a few steps ahead.
Meanwhile, Dot, who uses she/her pronouns, is an Arctic Hare named after Toronto’s longtime nickname, T-Dot. Originally from the Arctic Circle, she brings seemingly endless energy, acrobatics and enthusiasm to everything she does, making her the undisputed hype woman of the pair.
According to the Toronto Tempo, the pulse of the city is what drew both mascots to Toronto.
“From the beginning, we wanted our mascots to feel distinctly Tempo, rooted in who we are as a Canadian team,” said Whitney Bell, Chief Marketing Officer of the Toronto Tempo. “Dez and Dot have completely different personalities, but they’re better together. One knows when to slow things down, the other knows when to turn the energy all the way up. That balance felt like such a natural expression of Tempo, and we can’t wait for our fans to get to know them.”
The Tempo say the pair also offer a new spin on one of the oldest pairings in storytelling: the tortoise and the hare. Rather than representing slow versus fast, Dez and Dot are meant to embody steady and swift.
But what do Torontonians think?
Torontonians react
We took the new mascots to the streets for some first impressions, and the response was mixed.
One man wasn’t impressed, comparing Dot to Lola Bunny from Space Jam and questioning how a turtle and hare represent Toronto or Canada.
“A turtle and a hare doesn’t make me think of Toronto or Canada, so that’s a weird choice to me,” he said.
Others were more enthusiastic, with one man calling the mascots “really fun” and saying, “I still like it. Good animation, so I like it.”
Another Torontonian initially thought Dez was giving “Cookie Monster” before realizing the character was a turtle. She ultimately approved of the choice, noting that both animals can be found in Ontario.
“I think they’re great mascots,” she said.
But another woman suggested a more traditionally Canadian animal might have made more sense.
“I feel like we should have a beaver or something more Canadian,” she said, adding that while turtles and hares are found in Ontario, they’re “just not a very iconic choice.”
For Tempo, the turtle-and-hare pairing is intentional, with the team hoping Dez and Dot will become recognizable faces of the franchise as it builds its identity in Toronto.
