Dave Raymond, Tom Burgoyne and Hoag Kepner

Hanging With the Phanatics

by Jay S. Jacobs

As a Philadelphian, I may be biased, but of all of the mascots in sports history, the greatest one is The Phillie Phanatic. A large green, umm, thing – no one seems to know exactly what the Phanatic is supposed to be, although there is a legend that he is a flightless bird from the Galapagos Islands – who somehow ended up in Philadelphia bringing joy to baseball fans (and the community at large) for decades.

The Phanatic first suited up – so to speak – in the 1978 season at the old Veterans Stadium. 48 years later, people still flock to the stadium – now Citizens Bank Park – to see the Phanatic. (Oh, I suppose some people go there to watch the games, too.) In the 48 years of Phanatic lore, there have been two Phanatic’s “best friends” – Dave Raymond (1978-1994) and Tom Burgoyne (1994-the present.)

Yet, shockingly, the Phanatic’s story really hasn’t been told – at least not until now. Philadelphia native documentary filmmaker Hoag Kepner decided to do a deep dive on the Phanatic, and it has become Big Phan, which is premiering at the 35th Philadelphia Film Festival.

I got to meet up with director Kepner, Raymond and Burgoyne on the red carpet before the premiere screening. The Phanatic’s best friends were happy to be there for the film premiere, with Tom Burgoyne good-naturedly answering when asked how he was, “I’m still alive.”

So is the Phanatic, and he always will be. Here is what the men had to say about the big green guy and what he means to a community.

The Phanatic is such a Philly story. How cool is it that after all these years, there’s actually a documentary out there about him?

Hoag Kepner: I was watching a game. I live in Texas now, and I was taking [time] from my own project. I was thinking there’s got to be a project on the Phanatic. I kept searching. I was like, “Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?”

Tom Burgoyne: It’s cool because in a lot of cities, a lot of sports teams, they don’t really let the story get out. The Phanatic has been around for almost 50 years. There are so many stories to tell, and it’s such a positive message.

Hoag Kepner: [There was] this short from Sports Illustrated that was really good. But I just thought there’s nothing, and I really want to see one. Maybe I should make one.

Tom Burgoyne: I’m just so glad that this is being told. It would have been a shame if that message and that story never got out.

Dave Raymond: Part of that story a lot of people don’t see. There are many days during the week or year where the Phanatic walks into a hospital room and a celebration pops up. We’ve done a lot of films.

Tom Burgoyne: Yeah, the Phanatic is going to lift things up.

Dave Raymond: What he does for 81 home games is dwarfed by the hundreds of 1000s of hours and appearances he does in the community. I always say he shows up and automatically makes people feel better, no matter what’s going on.

He showed up at my great aunt’s 100th birthday.

Tom Burgoyne: Oh, is that right? Where was that?

It was at Artman.

Tom Burgoyne: (nods) Artman.

Dave Raymond: This is exactly what we’re talking about. It’s celebrating during times that you wouldn’t think there’s a celebration. He has that power.

Dave, when you originally came up with the personality, when did you first realize that the Phanatic was becoming a local icon?

Dave Raymond: It happened fast. (laughs) First, when Tim McCarver (who was then Steve Carlton’s personal catcher on the Phillies) in the paper after the very first game, and we beat the Cubs said, “Well, we’re 1-0 with the Phanatic.” Looking at the Phanatic’s name in the paper, I’m like, “Oh my God!”  Because we weren’t thinking it was going to be a thing.

Hoag Kepner: It’s interesting that there are people who are in the generation that grew up with Dave Raymond’s Phanatic, and there’s people that are in the generation that grew up with Tom Burgoyne’s Phanatic.

Dave Raymond: Then, of course, we went on the Captain Noah show (a local Philadelphia children’s show called Captain Noah and his Magical Ark) the very next day. But then, when you would show up, the crowd was incredible to see the Phanatic. We had to worry about security. The Phanatic would go to an appearance. They’d cancel the appearance. At a car dealership they were expecting 100 people, 5000 people showed up, and they didn’t have any security. So I would come back and say, “the Phanatic says we better have some security.”

Tom Burgoyne: Elvis is in the building.

Dave Raymond: All learned on the fly. It was surprising, but the thing about our fans is when you do something for them and they feel like it’s authentic – which is the Phanatic – is awesome. I mean, Tom has seen that together with me. It just continues to work.

Hoag Kepner: Part of the film is really dealing with the transition. Because obviously generations span across those, [but] I was particularly interested in these two guys and how that worked out. How was their relationship, and how was that handoff?

Tom, you’ve been doing the Phanatic for many years now, but when you first took over for Dave, he was such a legend. Was it a big responsibility to take over?

Tom Burgoyne: A legend. No, it’s true, I think the job is like: don’t screw up. Because we are going to talk a little bit today, the movie shows the people behind the scenes. There’s a lot more than just Dave and me. We’re the spokespeople, so that’s really cool about this movie. It gives those people a chance to shine.

Hoag Kepner: [Tom] had big shoes to fill, but then he ended up evolving the Phanatic even more, cementing that legacy. Really adding to it from what he got from Dave. For Dave, it was like, I need someone I can trust to build this character. This is important to the city, and they found each other in this very serendipitous way.

Tom Burgoyne: But Dave is the one who infused the Phanatic with that personality that we all came to love, right from the beginning. We talked about how it was an accident – a little bit of Daffy Duck, a little Three Stooges, little John Travolta dancing. So that blend is that personality that we all felt. So my job was don’t screw it up.

Dave Raymond: It’s very nice of you to say that. However, I was here for 16 years as the Phanatic’s best friend. He’s been there for 32 years since then, but also worked with us five years before that, and it hasn’t missed a beat. That’s not just because he was imitating something. He’s really talented at being the Phanatic’s best friend. That’s why we’re so close. The only jealousy I have is that he’s got this palatial dressing room with a shower. At the Vet (Veteran’s Stadium), I had a hole in the wall.

Tom Burgoyne: Oh yeah, your first one was a real hole in the wall.

Dave Raymond: And the sound system at Veterans Stadium was two tin cans with a wire. Now we’ve got this space and…

Tom Burgoyne: … And I have a bigger championship ring than he has.

Dave Raymond: Yeah, we have a small one. (Shows his 1980 World Championship ring.) But this friendship is really part of the beauty of this. That’s what I think. For us, or at least for me personally, it’s a celebration of that. It’s a fact that we have always said that the Phanatic is not us. We’re not the Phanatic. But there will always be a piece of us, and everyone will watch it, because it’s going to go on long after we’re gone, long after everyone in this room is gone. That’s because the Phillies started with leadership that really cared for it.

Obviously, you can’t tell the story without Dave and Tom. How did you get them on board?

Hoag Kepner: We started with Dave. If we just get Dave…. I thought the Phillies at the time were this massive organization. It’s going to be impossible to get them on board. I was like, maybe I’ll start with Dave. He was very receptive. I was like, okay, now let’s see if we can make this story bigger. I could totally do a documentary on Dave Raymond. But then I was like, let’s see if we can get Tom and the Phillies involved, so we can tell the entire [story].

Of course. How did you get them to be a part?

Hoag Kepner: They shockingly made themselves so available, accessible, and helpful. Lauren Testa. Without Lauren Testa, this movie doesn’t happen. She’s in the Phillies (the team communications manager), and then it became like without Scott Brandreth, the promotions director, without Michael Licisyn (team senior video producer), the archival guys getting all the footage back in the day, and of course Tom. Tom was just a delight the entire time. These guys are the best.

Were there any things that you learned about the Phanatic that you never had any idea of beforehand, just as a fan?

Hoag Kepner: I didn’t know [about] the magic. I assumed that the more I learned about these guys and the story, maybe when I see the Phanatic character now, it’ll be less magical or something. That’s not the case. I see him now, like when I saw him on the red carpet, nothing has changed. Knowing the story, knowing who’s in the costume, knowing that there’s someone in the costume doesn’t matter. He comes alive and takes over. It’s real.

Right, he is. Well, what do you hope that Phillies fans and even non-fans will take from your movie?

Hoag Kepner: We tried to make a movie out of this story. At its core, it’s a story about those two guys over there, Dave Raymond and Tom Burgoyne, and how they became the character. Why were they particularly suited for it? How unusual is it, this phenomenon around the Phanatic?

You’re a Philly guy, and you’re telling a Philly legend’s story. How much of the city were you trying to get into your film as well? To see the city and how the Phanatic is part of the whole tapestry of Philadelphia.

Hoag Kepner: Definitely a lot in terms of like the bigger picture of thematically how he is important for Philly. That’s in the film a lot. I thought I’d use more like Philadelphia imagery outside of the ballpark. Then I just didn’t, because the Phanatic takes up so much oxygen in the film. He’s such a big thing. So I don’t feel the need to otherwise indicate visually – like here’s the Philly skyline. All you need to do is show the big green.

How important is it that the Phanatic’s story is being told at his hometown film festival?

Dave Raymond: Hoag mentioned that I think they had an idea to maybe go to…

Tom Burgoyne: New York.

Hoag Kepner: There was a time when I was like, maybe we’ll premiere somewhere else. I want to smack myself for even thinking that. There was this festival in New York that didn’t pan out.

Dave Raymond: There were a lot of opportunities. But it makes so much sense to do it here.

Tom Burgoyne: When they got together with the Philadelphia Film Festival, they go, “You guys aren’t letting this premiere anywhere else, right?” We were like, “Oh, that is a good idea.”

Dave Raymond: We couldn’t find a better house. They’ve been gracious, and they’re so talented doing this.

Tom Burgoyne: They’re amazing. So cool.

Dave Raymond: We’re excited about getting into the main room for everybody to be able to see it.

Hoag Kepner: It’s a blessing because why would I go anywhere else to premiere this? I was an idiot for thinking that.

Copyright ©2026 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: October 20, 2026.

Photos by Jay S. Jacobs © 2026. All rights reserved