Team Fortress 2 is a popular multiplayer shooter game that has gained a dedicated fan base over the years. In the game, players can choose from various characters called classes, each with their unique abilities and playstyle. One of these classes is the Pyro, a flamethrower-wielding character known for their chaotic nature and mysterious backstory. One of the Pyro's distinct features is its taunt, which is called the "Witch Taunt." This taunt transforms the Pyro into a witch-like creature with glowing eyes, flowing robes, and a broomstick. It lasts for a few seconds and can be activated by pressing a specific key or button.
“In the very beginning, we didn’t want it to be licensed because we wanted people to use it,” admitted Bennett. “I don’t think anyone even thought about copyrighting and licensing it. But what we didn’t realize was going to happen was that every school in the country that had some kind of animal would start using it. Someone said that the best form of success is how many times you get copied. The Paw is pretty successful.”
Then in June of 1984, the Clemson Tiger Paw was officially trademarked by the federal government, along with several other monikers and secondary logos. The Paw began as an idea to set Clemson athletics apart from the crowd, but it now serves a much greater function, as it has become a quasi-ambassador for the university s overall mission to people around the world.
It lasts for a few seconds and can be activated by pressing a specific key or button. The Witch Taunt serves both a cosmetic and a gameplay purpose. Cosmetically, it allows players to show off their in-game achievements or rare cosmetic items.
Get to Know Clemson's Mascot, Which is Nearly As Unimaginative as it is Creepy
If you have not yet heard, Ohio State plays Clemson in the College Football Playoff Semifinal on New Year's Eve.
While I'm sure that game will be fine and good, and you can read all about it on Eleven Warriors Dot Com, I'm here to talk about a much more pressing matter.
Clemson's mascot is creepy, unimaginative and just bad all around.
The History
Clemson's mascot is a Tiger, which is fine if you're a local tee-ball team. As far as mascots go, a tiger is pretty much as unimaginative as it gets. It's the most common team name in Division 1 football and the second most common across all American sports at the high school, college and professional levels, being used by 1,354 different teams, according to cheatsheet.com.
The name choice is undoubtably unoriginal, but best part is Clemson didn't even come up with it on their own. The school actually stole the idea of using America's second-most generic mascot. When Walter Merritt Riggs – the father of Clemson football – came to the university, he took the Tigers name from his alma mater, Auburn, and brought it with him.
The good news is, when you make your mascot something as basic as a tiger, it's pretty much impossible to screw up, but Clemson did it.
Because of course, we needed a graphical combination of the two terrible mascots.The first failure was deciding to have a costumed mascot that wasn't actually a tiger.
While the athletic teams were nicknamed the Tigers since 1896, a tiger mascot didn't appear on the field until over 50 years later. Meanwhile, Clemson had a different costumed mascot representing the team (which was still nicknamed the Tigers) – the Country Gentleman.
The Country Gentleman was on the Clemson sideline until 1973, when the school made numerous changes to distance itself from antebellum south.
The Tiger Pregame Show describes the Country Gentleman as follows.
A top-hatted character in a purple tail coat, with a cane, he represented the Southern hospitality and class of the Clemson student, epitomized by the phrase, "a Clemson man needs no introduction."
The description of Clemson's first mascot – one that it had on its sidelines for over 30 years – is nearly identical to the first result when you perform a Google Image search for "pimp outfit."
So as we move on, do keep in mind that the heinous aberration Clemson currently uses as its mascot is somehow a drastic improvement on the original concept.
The Tiger
The thing's name is "The Tiger." That's it. Seriously. Clemson chose the most generic mascot in college football and doubled down by giving it the most default name possible. It's almost like someone forgot to fill in a box in the create-a-mascot feature of a video game.
I'm not referring to this thing as "The Tiger" throughout the rest of this piece because that's more obnoxious than Clemson's colors scheme, so he will henceforth be known as "Dave" because it's generic enough to be on brand yet still better than what they currently call him ("8-Ball" also works).
Here's the thing – anthropomorphic mascots are already creepy as hell. You don't need to do anything else to make them more creepy. But see, this is where Clemson decided to step out of the box.
Every other tiger mascot in Division 1 – Auburn, LSU, Memphis, Missouri – follows a similar recipe: a big and cute head, small and discrete black eyes and a relatively seamless and tight body suit. Dave just threw all that out the window.
Dave's head is tiny, which to be fair is more realistic than his humanoid tiger counterparts. However, if you're going for realistic, you probably shouldn't be putting a human inside a plush, bright orange tiger costume in the first place. The tiny head is unnerving and kills the cute, cartoon character vibe.
Sick Nikes, bro.In the face, Dave gives off the vibe of a coked-out orange dementor with stripes and whiskers. His eyes seem ready to lock you into a hypnotic trance while he sucks out your soul to use as collateral in a future back-alley yayo deal.
The rest suit looks like something you'd find at a local carnival or a middle school sporting event. It's far baggier than it should be, the seams at the hands and the neck are obvious, and in most cases you can blatantly see the wearer's shoes underneath the foot flaps. It just has the look of a stuffed animal a child picks up off the street and you have to scream "don't touch that, you don't know where it's been!"
It's no wonder CBSSports.com ranked Dave as the No. 4 scariest mascot in college football. He was topped only by Oklahoma State's Pistol Pete (which, yeah), Maryland's Testudo (which is pretty much a Ninja Turtles villain) and Purdue's Purde Pete (which, yeah).
Dave is bad, creepy, has the eyes of a coke head and to top it off, is painfully awkward:
The Cub
In 1993, Clemson decided to double up on horrendous mascots, adding an (ostensibly) younger version of Dave, ever-so-creatively named "The Cub" (David).
David is mostly terrible as well, but to his credit is definitely not worse than his counterpart, Dave. His eyes are far less tweaky and soul-sucking, and he has oversized shoes which totally cover the shoes of the wearer – so at least two fewer problems than Dave.
The other problems are still there. David still looks like a disease-ridden chew toy, his seams are somehow even more noticeable than Dave's and his suit is even baggier.
The most glaring issue is his jersey. Clemson so brilliantly decided David's jersey should be No. 1/2, which would actually be moderately clever if Dave were wearing No. 1 instead of 0. As it is, instead of a number that's adorably smaller than that of his older counterpart, David's number appears to be just an arbitrary fraction.
Good try, good effort, Clemson.
I do not know who will win when the Buckeyes play the Tigers on New Year's Eve, but I do know that Clemson's mascot is so horrendously creepy and uncreative that it is somehow objectively worse than Brutus, who is an anthropomorphic tree nut with a striped shirt.
- 2016 Fiesta Bowl
During the 1950s, wholesale changes began to take place around Clemson. The university, among other things, began to admit women and minorities, dissolved the Corps of Cadets, and re-organized the administration – all in an effort to alter the image of the school at the behest of an independent company that was brought in to complete an audit of the entire school.
The Witch Taunt is especially prized as it is one of the rarer taunts available in the game, making it a symbol of prestige among players. From a gameplay perspective, the Witch Taunt grants the Pyro a temporary immunity to damage. While performing the taunt, the Pyro becomes invulnerable to all forms of damage, making it a valuable defensive maneuver in intense battles. This can be particularly useful in situations where the player is low on health or needs a moment to regroup. Additionally, the Witch Taunt has a psychological impact on other players. Its distinctive visual and audio effects, such as cackling laughter and eerie music, can unnerve opponents and disrupt their focus. This can create an advantage for the Pyro and their team, as it can distract and disorient enemy players, making them more susceptible to attacks. Overall, the Tf2 Witch Taunt is a powerful tool in a Pyro player's arsenal. It has both cosmetic and gameplay benefits, allowing players to showcase their achievements and gain a temporary advantage in battles. Whether used for intimidation or tactical purposes, the Witch Taunt adds a unique and enjoyable element to the Team Fortress 2 experience..
Reviews for "The Art of Psychological Warfare: Mastering the TF2 Witch Taunt"
1. Michael - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with the Tf2 witch taunt. It just felt like a cheap and gimmicky addition to the game. The animations were clunky and the sound effects were annoying. It didn't add anything significant to the gameplay and felt out of place in the overall aesthetic of Tf2. I wouldn't recommend spending your money on this taunt.
2. Sarah - 1 star - I absolutely hated the Tf2 witch taunt. It felt like such a cash grab from the developers. The taunt itself was poorly executed and didn't fit in with the overall theme of the game. It added nothing to the gameplay and was just a waste of time and money. I'm really disappointed that they wasted resources on creating something so unnecessary.
3. John - 2 stars - The Tf2 witch taunt was a letdown for me. It felt like a forced addition that didn't contribute anything meaningful to the game. The animations were lackluster and felt like they were thrown together without much thought. Overall, it was a forgettable taunt that I wouldn't recommend investing in.
4. Emily - 1 star - I was not impressed with the Tf2 witch taunt at all. It didn't fit in with the overall vibe of Tf2 and felt out of place. The animations were choppy and the sound effects were grating. It just felt like a wasted opportunity to create something unique and fun. I would advise skipping this taunt and investing in something more worthwhile.
5. David - 2 stars - The Tf2 witch taunt was a disappointment for me. It added nothing substantial to the game and felt like a lazy addition. The animations were lackluster and the sound effects were irritating. It just didn't enhance my gaming experience in any way and I regret spending money on it. Skip this taunt and save your money for something better.