The death of Chief Wahoo has come swiftly. Shortly after the Cleveland Indians announced they will be retiring their mascot amid accusations that it’s a racist caricature of Native Americans, the MLB hall of fame has declared the cartoon character will no longer be featured on commemorative plaques.
In an announcement on Wednesday, the Hall of Fame said that future Indians memorabilia will feature a “Block C logo” in place of Chief Wahoo. The Hall said that it “concurs with the commissioner’s sentiment and acknowledges the shifting societal view of Native American logos in baseball.”
The statement was made in reference, specifically, to Cleveland slugger Jim Thome’s January decision to have a “Block C” logo instead of Chief Wahoo on his Hall of Fame plaque when it’s unveiled later this year. The Hall of Fame took Thome’s wish and turned it into a rule.
At the beginning of 2018, the Cleveland Indians announced they will be retiring the Chief Wahoo mascot, stripping him from all uniforms and baseball merchandise after the MLB commissioner said it was “no longer appropriate for on-field use in Major League Baseball.”
Chief Wahoo has been the baseball team’s mascot since 1948.