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Gunnersaurus became Arsenal’s mascot during the 1993/94 season
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11-year-old Peter Lovell’s design was selected after the club ran a competition to determine the new mascot
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One of the most popular Premier League mascots, Gunnersaurus has been in the news on more than one occasion in recent years
When most football fans think of Arsenal Football Club, they think of Arsene Wenger, the Invincibles and the Emirates Stadium.
However, some think of Gunnersaurus – the official club mascot. While the presence of Gunnersaurus on the touchline is unlikely to impact your bets, he certainly makes himself known as Arsenal home matches.
It seems a tad bizarre that Arsenal’s club mascot is a dinosaur but we’ll get onto the reason for that later. Gunners fans won’t care though – he is one of the top talismans in world football.
Gunnersaurus has seen plenty of players come and go, and he may yet witness the next Arsenal manager in the Emirates dugout if the club part ways with Mikel Arteta.
Here, we look at the history of Gunnersaurus as Arsenal’s mascot – including how he was created and why Gunnersaurus has gained a cult following over the years.
Who Created Gunnersaurus?
Arsenal ran a competition amongst junior supporters to design a new club mascot, with the winning image being brought to life.
Peter Lovell is the man credited with designing Gunnersaurus and the Arsenal mascot has been a huge part of his life – even attending his wedding day!
So the general idea of Arsenal’s club mascot is unusual yes, but it was Lovell’s creative brain that came up with the Gunnersaurus design back in 1994.
Since Lovell’s creation came to life, Gunnersaurus has been a staple at the club – watching the Arsenal Invincibles run riot and paying tribute to legendary manager Arsene Wenger.
Why Is Arsenal Mascot A Dinosaur?
It’s a good question and one that has never really been answered. As Lovell was only 11 when he designed the Arsenal mascot, we can put it down to youthful creativity.
According to Arsenal fan website Daily Cannon, he came up with the Gunnersaurus concept as the dinosaur mascot embodied the level of ferocity that the club stands for.
For Lovell, it has been an emotional journey from design to watching Gunnersaurus Rex in the flesh. He admits that he sees the mascot like his son!
Gunnersaurus is one of the most famous mascots on the planet and he has been captured taking part in charity events, partying and even getting involved with online trends.
Who’d have thought that Gunnersaurus was going to be a worldwide star? The Arsenal mascot has had a tough couple of years but he is back to his brilliant best on the Emirates touchline.
Was Gunnersaurus Sacked?
If you follow Premier League predictions most weekends, chances are you’ll have seen the drama surrounding Gunnersaurus a couple of seasons ago.
With no fans allowed at matches in England during the unprecedented campaign, the club decided that there was no need for an Arsenal mascot on matchdays.
This meant that – after 27 years – Gunnersaurus was deemed surplus to requirements and Jerry Quy was relieved of his duties, along with 55 other employees.
The decision came under immediate scrutiny, with former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil offering to pay Quy his Gunnersaurus wage for the campaign.
The news shocked sports fans around the world, with famous Disney Pixar character Shrek even turning up a the Emirates to offer his support to the Arsenal mascot.
With so much negativity aimed at the club, the board were forced into a U-turn and we saw the beloved Arsenal mascot back on the touchline within a month.
