Through the wonders of viral marketing, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants mascot, formally titled “the Mad Ant,” has become known across the U.S. as the “Nightmare Ant.”An accidental click of a button caused a picture of the Mad Ant to go up prematurely on Deadspin, a sports blog, with just the caption “the Nightmare Ant” and no mention of the Fort Wayne team. However, bloggers took a liking to the fierce-looking ant and the picture and the name has been spreading across the Internet ever since, even landing the Mad Ants in ESPN magazine, and earning the Mad Ant a nomination to the Deadspin Hall of Fame.
Mad Ants President Jeff Potter has been enjoying the free press that the “Nightmare Ant” has been bringing to the team, and has mentioned the phenomenon on his own Mad Ants blog. Potter also released a YouTube clip of the Mad Ant in a parody of a Napoleon Dynamite dance.
The Mad Ants have gained other national exposure recently, being featured on the hit show One Tree Hill, and also being included in the NBA Inside ’09 video game.
Learn more about the “Nightmare Ant” phenomenon and the Mad Ants recent success:
ESPN Article
Jeff Potter's Blog
Mad Ant on YouTube
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