The San Francisco Giants in the mid-1980s were an underachieving Major League Baseball team.
They played home games at windy, foggy Candlestick Park. Day games would be cold and blustery… even in mid-August. (Most Northern Californians know Mark Twain’s quote: “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”)
Between having a losing team and the unpleasant natural elements, attendance suffered.
The Giants public relations braintrust devised gimmicks to draw crowds.
One was called the Croix de Candlestick, a lapel pin given to hearty patrons who attended games despite the insufferable weather. Though tongue-in-cheek, it was worn as a badge of honor.
Another gimmick was to create a mascot that suited San Francisco. Something quirky and unique.
The Padres had the San Diego Chicken. Philadelphia had the Phillie Phanatic. But the Giants knew their fans didn’t want a mascot.
So, in 1984, the San Francisco Giants introduced Crazy Crab.
Initially, the character was just for a TV commercial to satirize sports mascots.
In the TV ad, team manager Frank Robinson got angry at the crab.
A local actor named Wayne Doba was hired to wear the costume. He had appeared in a few horror movies in prosthetic makeup as monsters and freaks. He also had experience in dance and as a mime.
Based on the commercials appeal, the Giants PR team decided to introduce Crazy Crab to a live audience during a game.
Rather than being lovable and friendly, Crazy Crab was… crabby. Unlikeable. Not cuddly. The opposite of all other mascots.
Just like in the TV ad, fans booed the character. They threw things at him: beer cans, golf balls, baseballs, water.
The costume had to be rebuilt with a hard shell to protect Doba.
The mascot became a lightning rod for the fans’ frustrations with their losing baseball team.
Even Giants players hated the him. They tossed lit firecrackers at him. One pitcher purposefully spit tobacco juice into the costume when Doba wasn’t wearing it.
Opposing players hated Crazy Crab, too. Two San Diego Padres players tackled him from behind. Doba was injured, sued, and settled out of court.
Supposedly, one of the Padres player was Bruce Bochy.
Crazy Crab didn’t last. He “retired” before the end of the 1984 season.
Wayne Doba continued acting and dancing. He now resides in Canada.
The Giants moved into their new ballpark in 2000. Candlestick Park no longer exists.
Bruce Bochy managed the San Francisco Giants during their World Series victories in 2010, 2012, and 2014. He has retired.
Behind center field at Oracle Park is a food stand featuring crab sandwiches called Crazy Crabz.
The team’s current mascot is cuddly and much-beloved Lou Seal.
Crazy Crab (not Doba) made a few brief ballpark appearances in recent years.
Fans booed him every time.
Comments