‘Good Morning America’ Introduces New Furry Mascot Ray: He’s Ready to ‘Spread the Joy’

Good morning America brings its viewers a new “ray” of sunshine in the form of an adorable, life-sized, furry yellow creature.

On Thursday, ABC’s morning show debuted its own mascot, Ray, who wore a blue T-shirt and baseball cap with the GMA logo emblazoned across it. He emerged on GMA dancing and enthusiastically hugging co-host Gio Benitez, who introduced him.

“Guys, what do you think of Ray?” Benitez asked his own GMA colleagues about their energetic new mascot, to which fellow co-host George Stephanopoulos quipped, “Ray had coffee this morning.”

“He’s like the cutest puppy,” co-host Lara Spencer added.

Ray’s GMA debut follows the show’s tradition of featuring popular sports mascots for years.

“Ray, our friend in yellow and blue, will spread the joy, heart and passion that ‘GMA’ brings to its viewers every morning,” according to an announcement on GMAWeb page. “The energy of a parent waking their children up for school every morning, the smell of fresh coffee brewing in the kitchen, and the smiles of friends and family members who start each day are embedded in Ray’s DNA.”

GMA hosts Michael Strahan, Lara Spencer, Gio Benitez and Rebecca Jarvis share a moment with their new mascot Ray.

Good Morning America/Instagram

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The mascot’s nickname, according to the show, was inspired by the rays of the sun, and the yellow color “represents the spark that viewers feel every morning as they tune in GMA.”

The character was co-created by Dave Raymond, Tom Sapp and Randy Carfagno, with assistance GMA staff. Raymond knows a thing or two about mascots as he was the original and beloved Phille Phanatic for the Philadelphia Phillies. Since then, he has developed 130 mascots for various sports teams and companies, including the Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty.

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In an interview with S. 2021 The New York Times, Raymond said, “All those emotions that are built up in your team are channeled all the way to that symbol. They invite you to come in and hug and physically interact with part of the team.”

Meanwhile, Ray received a warm and enthusiastic welcome from other mascots across the country via an Instagram video he posted Good morning America. Among them were Gritty, the Phillie Phanatic and Benny the Bull from the Chicago Bulls.

During Raya GMA debut Thursday, Benitez asked the mascot how he felt on his first day on the job. Ray then pulled out what appeared to be a device that should have activated, but didn’t. Instead, he threw it on the floor and started dancing and acting silly as if nothing had happened, causing laughter from GMA staff.

“See, this is what a mascot does,” Benitez said. “He’s improvising on live TV.”

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Source: HIS Education