The old Phillie Phanatic will soon be the new Phillie Phanatic as the Phillies will be permitted to again use the original version of their famous mascot after finalizing the settlement of a lawsuit on Monday.
The Phillies unveiled an altered Phanatic in February 2020 after they sued the creators — Bonnie Erickson and Wayde Harrison — in 2019 when they threatened to obtain an injunction against the team's use of the mascot and send the snout-nosed, shaggy, flightless green bird into free agency.
The settlement, which included the Phillies paying an undisclosed amount of money to the creators, allows the Phillies to now use either the new or old Phanatic. The team did not comment but all signs point to them bringing the old costume back to South Philly.
The settlement was reached last month, but both parties had more than 30 days to finalize the terms.
