Gritty's Norristown Roots

NORRISTOWN, PA — Back in February, Eagles star Jason Kelce stood on the Art Museum steps and belted out lines of the famous football chant: "no one likes us, we don't care" with an especially Philadelphia-esque variation. Six months later, Gritty was born.

And it turns out, the Flyers mascot turned-national sensation and embodiment of the Philadelphia area's particular brand of tenacity and attitude has Norristown roots.

Gritty's costume was designed by none other than Character Translations Inc., a custom costume shop located on Noble Street.

State College-based artist Brian Allen drew up the designs for the now beloved Philadelphia icon, and sent them over to Character Translations, which put together the suit that has since gripped the hockey world and beyond. In a way, Gritty was born in Norristown.

When Kelce chanted "no one likes us, we don't care," he may have mostly been referring to his Eagles' infamous underdog status throughout last year's NFL playoffs, but he may as well have been referring to how Philadelphia sports fans are seen on the national stage. It's an identity that fans across the Philly area embrace. And all of it is embodied in Gritty.

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So in the very least, it's appropriate that his roots stretch through Flyers country, from the contested grounds of State College (as Gritty would say, "sleep with one eye open, bird"), and the bowels below the stadiums on South Broad (where, according to the official Flyers account, Gritty has been living and nursing a fierce devotion to the Flyers for a very, very long time), to the streets of Norristown.

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