From scary to hilarious, incredible sporting mascots – in pictures

Once you see them, you will never forget

WuShock, the Wichita State Shockers mascot at the NCAA men's basketball tournament. We don't know whether to be shocked or scared. AFP

Cobi, the official mascot of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. It represented a Catalan sheepdog inspired by the interpretations of Picasso. Well ... Getty

Stumpy is the friendly dragon mascot of Somerset cricket club. It's adorable, but is it a dragon? Getty

The San Diego Chicken appears during games for the San Diego Padre and San Diego Clippers. Are chickens the best idea for a sporting mascot? AFP

Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty has a face you can't forget even if you tried. AFP

The New Orleans Pelicans mascot is, well, a pelican. As straightforward as it gets. Getty

UC Irvine Anteaters compete in NCAA basketball. Anteaters? Really? Getty

Philadelphia Phillies' mascot Phillie Phanatic. There is way too much happening here. AFP

Miami Marlins mascot Billy the Marlin. We all know people who don't look too dissimilar. AFP

Tennessee Titan mascot is T-Rac the raccoon, which is Tennessee’s state animal. Does this look like a racoon to you? USA TODAY

Southpaw, the mascot for the Chicago White Sox, is green and fluffy. And that's it. AFP

Appy, mascot of the 2012 European Athletics Championships. It was supposed to represent technology and design. It's cute but we get a vibe of post-its or paper napkins from it. Getty

Stuff the magic dragon is the mascot of Orlando Magic. Yes, it's a dragon. AFP

Who doesn't like a good mascot? They maintain the atmosphere in the arena and provide some moments of comic relief.

That's generally the idea. But sometimes, the mascots themselves as so far out there, they become the centre of attention. And not always in a good way.

Here we have a gallery of some of the most eye-catching sports mascots. We have scary ones, fluffy ones and some bizarre ones too.

To view the next image, click on the arrows or just swipe.