Dole's Bobby Banana on display at National Mascot Hall of Fame (edit 2)

The National Mascot Hall of Fame, a museum and interactive educational experience dedicated to honoring the contributions of sports mascots, has unveiled a special display featuring Bobby Banana, the 7-foot ambassador of Dole Food Co. created in 1992 to promote healthy living around the world, according to a release.

On display now in the museum’s Department of Mascot Studies Gallery and continuing through Sept. 30, “Bobby Banana: Dole’s Healthy-Living Icon for a Hungry World” chronicles the inception and growth of the sneakers-wearing Cavendish banana responsible for inspiring generations of kids and families toward nutritious food choices and active lifestyles, the release said.

Located in Whiting, Ind., 21 miles south of Chicago, the National Mascot Hall of Fame also maintains a virtual museum honoring the 33 mascots it has inducted to date.

The museum timed the three-month Bobby Banana display to coincide with Dole’s 125th "Banana-Versary," a year-long celebration of the global produce company's 125 years in the banana business encompassing online, social, promotional, in-store and other events and activities through 2024.

“While the focus of the National Mascot Hall of Fame has traditionally been on college and professional sports mascots, we can’t help but admire the work of corporate icons like Dole’s Bobby Banana who have helped electrify and inspire progress toward a better, healthier and more equitable world,” said Karen Anaszewicz, the museum’s executive director. “Once we heard about this year’s Dole Banana-Versary, we knew the time was ripe to tell the Bobby Banana story.”

Bobby Banana is the first globally known corporate mascot to be displayed at the National Mascot Hall of Fame in its five-year history, Anaszewicz said.

“After years of requests, we have decided to start officially inducting corporate mascots into the museum in 2025 as part of our expanded commitment to telling the full mascot story,” she said. “More details on this exciting evolution for the National Mascot Hall of Fame will be announced soon — so stay tuned.”

Bil Goldfield, Dole’s director of corporate communications, worked with the museum team to develop the exhibit, which surrounds the giant yellow banana with a series of illuminated display panels offering information about Bobby Banana, Dole Food Co. and the Banana-Versary.

“We’ve had many dialogues with the National Mascot Hall of Fame over the years, so to finally see the display christened and welcoming guests is a major thrill for me, Bobby and everyone at Dole,” Goldfield said. “This day instantly becomes a highlight of our Banana-Versary.”

Dole says its 125th Banana-Versary will continue through 2024 with contests, charity engagements, city proclamations, social media activations, Bobby Banana appearances, recipes, employee events and free digital downloads and giveaways across the county. Shoppers can also find collectible Dole 125th Banana-Versary stickers on millions of Dole bananas across the U.S. and Canada.

For additional information, visit the 125th Banana-Versary landing page. Use hashtags #DoleBananaVersary, #DoleBananas125, #BananasForTheFuture, #BananaVersary and #Fresh4Future to join the conversation on social media.