Club Mascot: Pee Tee
Pee Tee was originally hatched by the Committee of the "800" Club/Junior Jags.
The idea was to introduce a cute/cuddly mascot for Junior Jags and so the search began, the first question was: what could be seen as an instantly recognisable character that people could immediately link with Partick Thistle?
Indeed, what? We discovered that in a far flung corner of the USA there was a breed of bird that could meet certain criteria; it was black and white, with a colourful beak including the famous red and yellow.
Enquiries were made, permission was sought and finally agreement was reached, we would introduce a Toucan.
The Toucan was brought over from the USA in early October 2001 and as soon as he landed at Glasgow airport, he turned purple due to the cold weather. He was such a lovable bird that we could not send him back, so we kept him, introduced him to the kids and they took to him immediately.
We had to find a name for him so we asked the people who mattered most, the kids and Douglas Allan suggested that we use the initials from the Club’s name -P and T - and so we did. He then nicknamed him "The Firhill Flyer" after the great Johnnie MacKenzie so we now had PeeTee, the Firhill Flyer (to give him his full Mascot pedigree title).
Since his introduction he has appeared in a TV documentary, a Police anti-theft campaign, Show Racism the Red Card campaign, a book and he is now competing annually in the Mascot Grand National at Huntingdon and the Norwich Union International Athletics Meeting in Glasgow. His popularity is such that he recently beat Father Christmas in a children’s choice to present prizes at a school award ceremony.
What has he to do with Partick Thistle? – well he brings pleasure into young lives, he is loved not just by young Thistle fans but by young fans of all teams, he brings a smile to any face, his presence can light up a room and above all he does this in the name of Partick Thistle!
Visit PeeTee's own website.
