The Story of Gunnersaurus, Arsenal's Unique Mascot

Arsenal have the nickname "The Gunners" which is in line with their logo, namely the cannon. However, they have an unusual mascot: Dinosaurs. Arsenal has the full story.

In the summer of 1993, Higbury Stadium was rebuilding the North Bank stands. While excavating construction for the foundation, workers suddenly discovered something odd. There is something so big that it scares workers that the work is stopped.

Who knows if it's a bomb left over from World War II?

However, the reality is more surprising. That thing is a very big egg! The egg was so warm that they knew there was something in it. For that, the club moved him to a safer place, and covered him with an Arsenal blanket.

Not long after, the egg began to crack. And what happened next was unexpected: a baby dinosaur emerged from the egg.

In just a week, the baby dinosaur grew to seven feet or about 2.13 meters. Arsenal also named him "Gunnersaurus Rex" with the nickname "Gunner".

He was taken to Highbury. And his debut occurred on August 20, 1993, when Arsenal hosted Manchester City. In that match, the Gunners won 3-0.

Of course the story above is a mere fantasy even though it is placed on the official Arsenal website. Gunnersaurus is actually the embodiment of the idea when Arsenal made a mascot-making contest.

At that time, the Junior Gunners held an Arsenal mascot contest in the 1993/1994 season. As a result, the committee chose the work of Peter Lovell, who was 11 years old at the time, as the winner. Peter named his mascot as “Gunnersaurus Rex” which was later used as the official name of this mascot. The outline is still the same: he's a dinosaur, wearing a hat and a collar. The difference is, in the latest version, Gunnersaurus wears shoes.

Lovell also explained the technical installation of the mascot. He explained that the mascot was seven to eight feet tall. The person inside looked through the slit from the collar, while the back of the Gunnersaurus had a zipper so humans could enter through it.

Lovell even requires that Gunnersaurus must have a balanced weight so that he does not fall because it is too heavy. The material used must also be light and waterproof so that he can accompany Arsenal in all conditions.

“I have been an Arsenal fan all my life. My mom and dad are Arsenal fans, my grandpa is Arsenal fans too. Arsenal is in our blood," Peter said as quoted by Vice.

“I've always loved art since I was a kid and at the time, I was drawing some sort of comic book series about dinosaurs, because I was obsessed with Jurassic Park. It was just one eureka moment when the name suddenly came to me: Gunnersaurus Rex,” recalls Peter.

Peter knew that his work would be made a mascot. For that, he designed a mascot that is big, but looks cool and friendly. His confidence increased after his mother praised his work.

However, this is not the first sketch to be submitted for the contest. Peter took a new piece of paper and drew it directly in one drawing. He colored it, and began to write a description of the mascot.

A few weeks later, Peter's work was chosen as the winner. After being elected, Lovell was invited to the inauguration of this mascot.

They invited me to the inaugural mascot ceremony where I ran around the pitch with the Gunnersaurus and met the guy on board, said Peter.

Because of the Gunnersaurus, Peter is also known for his designs. Not infrequently he was greeted on the street because people recognized him. He was even treated to a drink because the Arsenal fans respect him.

In 2013, Gunnersaurus even attended his wedding. The story goes, without Peter's knowledge, his wife, companion and family contact Arsenal. When his companion delivered a speech, there was a story about Gunnersaurus. Peter was surprised by the speech because it was so sudden. Then, the curtains opened and Gunnersaurus was there.

At Arsenal, Gunnersaurus is almost always in every home game. He also participated in the parade carried out by the Gunners with an open-top bus. However, late last year there was news that Arsenal would no longer hire him as a mascot, to reduce the club's expenses. Plus, the fans can't come to the stadium either.

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