First it was dogs, then it was monkeys.
Orange County has left its mark on a couple of sports fan trends in recent months.
When sports fans across the country asked “Who let the dogs out?” last year, it turns out Orange County had a hand in opening the gate.
Tim Beach, who puts together the entertainment for Anaheim Angels and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim games, said he was among the first to promote the use of the rap chant at Edison International Field last summer.
Beach is a friend of Herndon, Va., record promoter and sports marketer Fred Traube, who pushed for inclusion of the song in stadiums around the country, starting with Anaheim. Beach also suggested to Traube that he promote the song’s use at the Information and Display Entertainment Association meeting last summer,a move that helped the song by the Bahamas’ Baha Men take off nationwide.
Meanwhile, the Rally Monkey phenomenon that took hold among Angels fans last summer has spread to Indianapolis. The almost accidental inclusion of a monkey clip on the Jumbotron at Edison Field last June was a hit with fans and led Angels owner Walt Disney Co. to hire a real monkey for game appearances. Disney also created a line of stuffed monkey dolls.
Since then, the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts launched a “touchdown monkey” and an “extra point monkey.”
The Indianapolis office of advertising agency Bates USA, which represents the Colts and which has an office in Irvine, called the promotion an outgrowth of the “monkey phenomenon crossing the country,” according to account executive Mike Karnuta, who said a colleague had a monkey promotion in mind for some time.
Both Karnuta and Colts officials said they did not know about the Angels’ Rally Monkey.
Angels vice president of communications Tim Mead said the Angels were aware of the Touchdown Monkey but had not been contacted by the Colts about it.
The Colts, however, may have one-upped Disney in marketing: the Touchdown Monkey was introduced with a $49 limited-edition version, followed by a regular Touchdown Monkey that sells for $24.95; the Extra Point Monkey sells for $14.95. Both are marketed as “fans of the Colts,” according to Karnuta.
The Rally Monkey sold at Edison Field for $12 and was viewed by fans as an a potion that helped the Angels come from behind to win,a situation they found themselves in numerous times last season.
Neither team disclosed sales figures for the critters, though Colts officials said they ordered 1,000 each of the limited edition monkeys, which sold out. A December 1 press release indicated another 18,000 to 20,000 monkeys have been sold.
Roughly 8,000 Rally Monkey were sold in about a two-month period. Mead said team officials hope the momentum carries over to next season.
