The Facebook profile of Marty the Marmot has been shut down after the Victoria Royals mascot was deemed not a real person.
The sudden disappearance of the mascot’s personal Facebook profile has fans up in arms.
John Espley, a representative for Accent Inns, took to his hotel chain’s social media accounts after hearing the news, and urged fellow fans to push for the reinstatement of Marty the Marmot’s personal Facebook profile.
“Marty is really cool in the sense that he’s not just a mascot for the Royals,” Espley said. “He’s out and about at so many things. I see him at charity events everywhere. That character has stepped out and been a part of the community. He makes every event that much more special. Adults and kids alike, we need him.”
A personal Facebook profile can be shut down if it appears the page administrator is not a real person or cannot produce two pieces of photo identification.
“Since I don’t have a driver’s licence or hold a passport, it kind of makes it difficult to say: ‘See, I’m human!’ ” the man behind the mascot, who chooses to keep his identity private, said in an interview.
“Without me being able to prove that Marty the Marmot is a real entity, they shut it down.” Marty the Marmot still has a Facebook fan page with just over 2,000 followers, but he said the loss of his personal profile on Monday — he had 5,000 Facebook friends — will compromise his ability connect with fans.
For example, he will no longer be able to send birthday greetings to his fans, since the interactions available with a fan page are different from personal pages.
“That is one thing I won’t get to do anymore,” he said. “I’ve done that every day for the last four years.”
For many, that connection is part of what makes Marty so special.
In 2013, he was named Favorite Mascot of the Year in a U.S. poll, beating several professional mascots for the honour. He has been a part of several fundraising campaigns, primarily those aimed at helping children,
He showed up at a wedding reception for a pair of season ticket holders.
“I was in the neighbourhood,” he said. “That’s kind of what I do.”
Carolyn Birch, now acting general manager of a baseball team in Medford, Oregon, worked for the Victoria Salmon Kings when Marty the Marmot made his debut in 2006. (Marty started out as the mascot for the Salmon Kings.)
Birch said one-on-one interaction is what makes Marty the Marmot one of the most unique mascots in North American sports.
“It is his ability to talk with people in a way they really connect with that makes him so special,” she said. “He really truly makes these people believe in him, and love him. And Marty never misses a friend’s birthday. Ever.”
The outpouring from friends and fans left Marty the Marmot with an overwhelming sense of pride Tuesday. “It truly is very, very gratifying. It’s an all-round feeling of nice. And in this world, sometimes it’s hard to come by those feelings of nice.”
