{"id":176304,"date":"2026-08-20T23:20:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T23:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/176304\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T23:20:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T23:20:24","slug":"not-it-some-fans-cry-foul-over-new-toronto-tempo-mascots-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/176304\/","title":{"rendered":"‘NOT it’: Some fans cry foul over new Toronto Tempo mascots"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

Dez the snapping turtle and Dot the Arctic hare<\/a> move at different tempos \u2014 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.\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’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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They realized they were perfect for each other.<\/p>\n

“The 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,” the Tempo said in a news release.<\/p>\n

“Eventually, the pulse of Toronto drew them both to the city.”<\/p>\n

But, as with many new fuzzy brand ambassadors, their home city hasn’t immediately welcomed them.<\/p>\n

“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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Another commenter on Instagram feels that the Raptor, the Toronto Raptors mascot, is superior.<\/p>\n

“Why did the boys get a dinosaur and we got characters from a children’s colouring book???!” 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Toronto<\/p>\n

Toronto Raptors team mascot the Raptor tries for a front flip slam dunk during a time out break in Toronto on Nov. 4, 2012. An Instagram comment compared the Toronto Tempo’s two new mascots, Dez and Dot, unfavourably with the Raptor. (Nathan Denette\/The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n

Some found the mascots’ faces unsettling.<\/p>\n

“I don’t like how Dot is looking at me,” wrote one Reddit user<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“They’re just … staring into my soul,” wrote another<\/a>. “Cool concept but those faces are NOT it.”<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“From the beginning, we wanted our mascots to feel distinctly Tempo \u2014 rooted in who we are as a Canadian team,” she said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Toronto<\/p>\n

Dot, left, and Dez are introduced during halftime of WNBA basketball action between the Toronto Tempo and the Indiana Fever in Toronto on Tuesday. (Chris Young\/The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n

The Tempo has not yet responded to an email inquiry from CBC News on criticism of the mascots.<\/p>\n

Not everyone was so harsh.<\/p>\n

“I lowkey like this \u2014 the tortoise and the hare vibes. I love the imagery,” wrote one Facebook user<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“10\/10 would die for them,” wrote a Reddit user<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fans have also speculated about the nature of their relationship and their sexuality<\/a> \u2014 including whether they’re dating.<\/p>\n

But it’s not meant to be, according to TSN Toronto Tempo beat reporter Chelsea Leite.<\/p>\n

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

The franchise could use any luck their new mascots can bring. The Tempo are 10\u201325 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n