Gritty Just Got His Own Smoothie at This Extremely Philly Chain

We love a mascot. There’s just something about engaging with your favorite sport/food/brand through the form of a vaguely anthropomorphic creature, which can, in turn, be turned into an oversized costume that someone has to sweat in all day to plug a company’s wares. And we love it when those mascots are a little…strange. Take Grimace, for example, who recently showed up in Germany to promote a purple McDonald’s menu: Fuzzy, blob-esque, obscure, and of indeterminate animal, or perhaps alien, origin. Baffling, and yet, fun.

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Gritty, the mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers, is another one. A Muppets-esque creature with googly eyes and a beard, it’s hard to pin down what he actually is – but he sure makes a splash. So much so that the folks over at the Flyers decided it was time for him to branch out, with a smoothie at Wawa. Talk about a local collab. 

Gritty Smoothie: Hopefully Gritty Only In Name

The Gritty x Wawa team-up was announced earlier this week, and according to Wawa, it was born out of a sense of Philly pride. “This partnership was all about having fun, celebrating local pride, and giving our customers something that feels uniquely Philadelphia,” said Wawa’s chief marketing officer, Doug Martin, in a statement to 6ABC. “You can feel the excitement everywhere in and around the city, and we know Gritty’s smoothie is sure to be a winning recipe among all fans.” Given that Wawa is a Philly-based chain, the collab with the Flyers makes a lot of sense. 

As for the recipe itself, the Gritty Smoothie is a fruity-chocolatey affair, with a mango, pineapple, and tart cherry base, topped with whipped cream and chocolate chips. It comes in a cup that has Gritty’s signature eyes emblazoned on the side, and its color is near-identical to Gritty’s coat (do we call it a coat? Fur? Gritty’s coverage, maybe). The smoothie is available now in more than 400 locations across the Greater Philly area, but it’ll only be around, as these things always are, for a limited time. A Gritty smoothie, a Wawa sandwich, and a moment of peace. Bliss. 

Gritty Speaks!

Naturally, Wawa and the Flyers couldn’t resist having a bit more fun with their release – and so we were also graced with a statement from Gritty himself. In releasing it, he also namechecked fellow mascot extraordinaire, Wally, a massive goose. “I’ve been a lil choosy on who I meet with during the playoffs, but when Wally the Wawa Goose calls, you answer,” Gritty ‘said.’ “What if there was a way to harness my smooth side and put it in a 24-ounce cup? Impossible? Wrong. We did it. We made a smoothie. WE MADE A GRITTY SMOOTHIE.”

We love the copy, guys. Now, will Wally be getting a smoothie too? What’s his deal? Will he be showing up at a Flyers game with a limited-edition hot dog or something? We’ll have to wait and see.