Ferocious, cheeky or ‘nightmare fuel'? Meet Rum'un, Tasmania's new AFL mascot

The Guardian

19-03-2025

A 'cheeky' Tasmanian devil that poos out footballs, growls like Nosferatu and is covered in papier-mache-like recycled fur has been unveiled as the new mascot of the state's long-awaited AFL team.
Rum'un, which translates to Tasmanian slang for 'an odd or eccentric person; a scallywag, or someone cheeky' in the Macquarie Dictionary, made his debut as the Tasmania Devils' latest recruit at an event on Tuesday evening.
He sashayed down the catwalk at Hobart's Theatre Royal with a slow run-up before bending down and emitting a 'Rum'un' roar, echoed with delight by attendees.
'I've got a very sneaking suspicion that this move is going to catch on,' the host, Jack Riewoldt, told the crowd, as the Devil launched into side-stepping dance to the backing of drums.
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'Bit of Raygun there from Rum'un, you beauty!' Riewoldt cheered.
Rum'un was developed in partnership with the Tasmania-based Terrapin Puppet Theatre and input from schoolchildren across the island. His fur is made from recycled school polo shirts, track pants and disused backpacks.
Lead maker Bryony Anderson said it was an 'unusual pairing' for Terrapin Puppet Theatre but the club was 'game to do it differently'.
The nine-month long process started with a visit to a local wildlife sanctuary, discussing devil physiology, their threat to survival and what makes the animal unique.
Anderson then visited 10 schools with green uniforms and received donations, which led to a week at a New Norfolk high school where students helped turn the items into strips of fur, which were sown on to the creature.
It was a request from the students that Rum'un would do custom poos of the feathers or fur of opposing teams.
'The team will go out with all the stories of the schools built in [to the mascot],' Anderson said. 'We wanted it to be ferocious and punchy, not just big foam heads. We were told 'don't make it look like the Wiggles'.'
Pointing to a news.com article with the headline 'Australia horrified as Tasmanian team's mascot causes frenzy', Anderson said 'in Tasmania, there's quite a few people that'll be chuffed with that'.
In coming weeks, Rum'un will embark on a tour across Tasmania, meeting communities across the island and representing the club before its planned AFL men's debut in 2028.
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The Tasmania Football Club chief executive, Brendon Gale, said the new recruit would 'be a great beacon of our club across the state'.
'The creation of Rum'un reflects our club – uniquely Tasmanian, handcrafted and created with grit and determination representing our whole island,' he said.
'Rum'un is also a little bit cheeky. These characteristics are all true to the Tasmania Football Club, a club that represents our whole state and who does things our way.'
Social media users had a mixed reaction to Rum'un. 'It's a pinata,' one TikTok user commented on a video which showed the devil ingesting and excreting an AFL football.
'That mascot is actually nightmare fuel,' another said, 'kids are going to be terrified'.
'This is legitimately cool. All the people cringing at it aren't having fun, but I am!' another user commented, while one simply said: 'That's fucked. I love it.'
The release of the name and look of the mascot comes a year after the Tasmania FC revealed its club name and colours.
The club has attracted 207,000 founding members before its AFL launch. On Tuesday, the Devils refreshed their $10 membership offer which attracted significant support last year.