Pierre the Pelican is the official mascot for the New Orleans Pelicans. He was introduced on October 30, 2013, the opening night of regular season for the team at home against the Indiana Pacers. The name for the mascot was selected by the fans through an online poll on the team's website. However, Pierre's unconventional design frightened some fans. The mascot's redesigned head was released on February 11. According to the Pelicans, the backstory of Pierre's head redesign came from when he broke his beak during a practice prior to the NBA All Star Game. He spent a few weeks recovering, and trying to still be the mascot that he is. The Pelicans' former mascot when the organization was formerly the Hornets was Hugo the Hornet who was part of the organization from 2002–13. Hugo returned as the mascot for the Charlotte Hornets starting with the 2014–15 season.
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