Last week, Gothamist and illustrator Matt Lubchansky came up with sketches for 12 possible subway mascots that could be used to improve relations between the MTA and its users, and provide a happy, and/or adorable, and/or unforgettable face to make our transit system a little more relatable. After several rounds of voting on Twitter, we can now announce who the winner of the contest to become the face of the MTA is: all hail The Original Pizza Rat™, our new subway mascot. This is all totally official, no takebacks allowed.
As Newsday wrote in the '90s, when the MTA previously had an opportunity to adopt a "Card-Rat" as a mascot, the MTA has long shied away from using rats as its representative: "That kind of frankness has never been fully appreciated around the MTA." But we feel strongly that by doing so, the MTA is proverbially leaving the cheese on the table. They should embrace the viral fame of pizza rat, arguably the most famous rat in NYC history, by trademarking The Original Pizza Rat™ as their own. Having a sense of humor is good! As we wrote, "To capture the je ne sais vermin, this costume features a rat whose head is bursting (with excitement!) through a slice of pizza. Who wouldn't want to grab a selfie—or a discarded slice–with this guy?!"
To ascend to his position, in the final round of voting Pizza Rat defeated Trashy (a trash monster made out of typical subway detritus who was grown in the bowels of the sewers); Crab Of Chaos (the emblem of mass transit derangement and confusion); and fan favorite Dagbog, The Bag Dog, the patron saint of all good dogs. Despite Dagbog's undeniable charisma and enchanting name, he was no match for Pizza Rat's all-consuming popularity.
You can see all 12 mascots below, and read more about their backstories here.
When contacted about the 12 original mascots, an MTA spokesperson responded, "lol."
We've reached back out to them to ask when the MTA is planning on making the official announcement about Pizza Rat, and when New Yorkers should expect to see him roaming the tunnels. We also fully expect Mayor de Blasio to unveil an official decree. If none of this should come to pass, please get in touch if you know how to make a mascot costume.
Update: MTA spokesperson Tim Minton said in a statement, “Pizza Rat is currently under contract with another transit system, but he’s free to reach out when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2024. In the meantime, NYC Transit will continue to reduce the presence of both discarded food and rodents in the subway.”
