Deewok found himself on the mascot naughty step more than once during a Dens Park career spanning more than 20 years.
The club mascot has now been retired following the misery of relegation and the Dark Blues have unveiled their new effort to entertain youngsters: SnappyDee.
It marks the end of an era for the popular bear.
Whether waving an inflatable sheep at Aberdeen fans or riding a tractor on to the pitch for a game against St Johnstone, life was never dull when Deewok was in post with a flurry of dust-ups bringing some unwanted headlines during his time on the touchline!
Flashing blue light
Deewok first landed himself in hot water back in January 2002 when he was banned from entertaining fans during a league match against Hibernian.
He was given an official warning by the club for trying to make light of rebel midfielder Patrizio Billio being allegedly assaulted outside Dens Park.
Deewok was removed by police and club officials after strapping a flashing blue light to his head and carrying a truncheon and handcuffs on to the pitch.
His matchday routine was scrapped after being deemed “inappropriate”.
Worse was to follow that May when the bear went AWOL!
He attended Lubo Moravcik’s charity match at Thomson Park in Lochee before disappearing and he was still missing in July, which prompted a plea for information.
“Maybe the call of the wild was too strong for him,” a club spokesman said.
“If anyone has seen him wandering the streets, we would implore them to get in touch with the club.
“There will be a reward for anyone who provides information that will lead to his recovery.’
“We haven’t seen him since May and so far our investigations have revealed very little.
“We are very keen that he is back in place for the start of the season.”
Dundee mascot Deewok saved by Charlie Miller
The old saying that the best place to hide is in plain sight was proven when Deewok was eventually tracked down to a cupboard in Dens Park!
He might have wished he stayed there after being threatened with the sack within a few months for ridiculing Dundee United midfielder Charlie Miller!
At half-time in the November derby game, the giant cuddly bear-like creature, appeared wearing a United jersey bearing Miller’s name and number.
Stuffed up the front – in mock suggestion the Tannadice star could do with losing a pound or two – was a pillow.
Several United fans took offence and complaints were forthcoming.
Seeing as this was by no means a first offence, it looked as if the axe was about to fall on the errant mascot until Miller’s timely intervention.
Miller stressed he had taken no offence and saw no reason for any disciplinary action!
No further action – this time…
Deewok survived but Andy Lynn, the holder of the role, was arrested and charged in connection with an alleged assault on a Partick Thistle supporter during a match in 2011.
The incident unfolded outside the commentator’s box at Dens and took place in full view of fans following Dundee’s second goal of the match.
The charges were subsequently dropped, although Andy was spoken to by the fiscal’s office and warned about his future conduct.
The 47-year-old Partick Thistle fan was ejected from the ground and subsequently charged with breach of the peace but the case was also dropped.
The club stood by Andy during the case.
He continued as the popular Dens Park mascot until Deewok was dropped in 2018, returning from cold storage for the 2019-2020 season.
It will be up to SnappyDee to follow in his footsteps in 2022-2023!
With today’s announcement of Snappy’s arrival we can confirm the retirement of long serving mascot Deewok.
We would like to thank Deewok for his years of service and wish him all the best for the future.
He’ll always be welcome back at Dens #thedee https://t.co/GgnawZ4QgD pic.twitter.com/M0iC0i11i6
— Dundee Football Club (@DundeeFC) June 2, 2022
Bringing in a new mascot after relegation is nothing new and was a tactic famously employed by Forfar Athletic after going through the trap door in 2016.
Forfar hoped a life-sized bridie mascot would whet the fans’ appetite for life after relegation to League Two and launched a competition to name their pastry friend!
Baxter the Bridie was the name chosen by the fans.
What about some of Scottish football’s other mascots over the years?
Partick Thistle’s yellow peril mascot, Kingsley, had youngsters running for cover when it was launched at Firhill in the summer of 2015!
The unveiling of Kingsley did not go down well on social media, with one fan calling it “terrifying” and another claiming it to be “an evil Pokémon-type thing”.
The bad boy of Scottish football mascots was St Mirren’s Paisley Panda, who was spoken to by police after pretending to use a rival club’s jersey as toilet paper on the pitch.
And in 2011 Dunfermline Athletic bosses were questioned by police over the bizarre pre-match antics of East End Park mascot Sammy the Tammy.
Before the Fife derby kicked off, Sammy appeared on the pitch in what looked like a cardboard tank and pretended to open fire at Raith Rovers fans.
This was accompanied by sound effects played through the stadium’s loudspeakers.
Rovers fans said the stunt was in bad taste, given the death of a fan who was killed by Taliban forces in Afghanistan.
More like this:
Dundee were the kings of Scotland when it came to the Tennent’s Sixes
Ron Dixon was mercurial Dundee FC owner who decided to buy the club during poker game
Conversation