Mascots. They’re big, fuzzy, and bring joy to thousands of people. Kids love them, and admit it, you like them a little bit, too, even if you’re not sure why (though maybe it’s because they can’t change expression on their face, no matter how much pain they're in). They do goofy dances, fire t-shirts and hot dogs into the stands, and help to embarrass the other team.

But, let’s be honest – they can be a little weird. Mascots like a banana slug, a giant flame and an unidentified big red “thing” are meant to rally the fans and provide entertainment, and while they may be good at their jobs, these oddities have also found themselves amongst The Top 10 Weirdest Mascots in sports.

UC-Santa Cruz should be proud – somehow, they made the mascot version of a banana slug look creepier than the real thing.

For a while, the banana slug was the unofficial mascot for the University of California at Santa Cruz campus, where students embraced its whimsical nature. According to the Santa Cruz Public Libraries website, the banana slug “represented many of the strongest elements of the campus: contemplation, flexibility, non-aggressiveness and, perhaps above all, an iconoclastic challenge toward the status quo.”

When it came time to choose an official mascot, though, the Chancellor passed over the banana slug in favor of the sea lion, while the student body remained loyal to their unofficial cheerleader. A vote was held to decide, and the results showed that the students, and their beloved gastropod, had won.

Amazingly, though, the Banana Slug could be considered a better mascot than that of the Miami Heat, mainly because you can actually distinguish what it is: a slug.

In creating their mascot, the Miami Heat apparently tried to answer an unasked question: “What would the Philly Phantic look like on an acid trip?” Meet "Burnie," who, apparently, is a giant flame, with a basketball for a nose.

Burnie even has his own page and a profile on the Heat's site. But there’s one interesting fact that the team might not want to promote—Burnie’s been sued in federal court. He faced 20 years in jail for aggravated assault and battery after a woman he was dancing with during a game fell down; it was settled out of court for $50,000.

We don't want to know what would have happened to Burnie had he wound up in prison.

But what we do want to know is: what, exactly, was Western Kentucky thinking when they named Big Red their mascot in the fall of 1979?

Big Red looks like nothing else on Earth – he (She? It?) is an oversized, fat, furry, red blob-like…thing. To his credit, Big Red has appeared in multiple mascot competitions and was named to the Capital One All-America Mascot Teams from 2002-2004. He’s also been featured in ESPN commercials, and even the 25,000th SportsCenter. He is arguably the most recognizable thing about WKU sports, and all just because he looks weird.

But maybe in the land of mascots, the motto could be “the weirder the better.” Two of our weirdest mascots, Steely McBeam (Pittsburgh Steelers) and the Phillie Phanatic (Philadelphia Phillies) are mascots for defending world champion teams. It’s tough to argue with success like that. So don't be surprised if you see new, weird mascots unveiled for the Detroit Lions or the New York Knicks.