Advertisement

'What is that?': Brownie the Elf Browns logo baffles Kirk Herbstreit

"What is that?"

Those were the words of Amazon Prime broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit when he saw the Brownie the Elf Browns logo at midfield of FirstEnergy Stadium.

Herbsteit and announcer Al Michaels had a back-and-forth about Cleveland's new 50-yard-line logo in the fourth quarter of Thursday's Browns game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"Honestly? I’m not a fan, man," Herbstreit said when asked about Brownie by Michaels. "What used to be at the 50?"

Fans voted to bring Brownie the Elf to start the season.

Cavaliers at the Browns game:Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland serve as Cleveland Browns Dawg Pound captains

ADVERTISEMENT

"We're super excited about the new midfield logo," Browns Executive Vice President and Partner JW Johnson told clevelandbrowns.com. "We really wanted to engage our fans in the process, and they are — as I've said multiple times — undefeated. They're the best in the league, best in the NFL and, candidly, some of the best in sports. We really wanted to get their involvement and hear what they have to say. We were able to pull off the new logo with the old school Brownie logo."

This marks the team's first mid-field logo since 2016. Before that, a Browns helmet was at the 50-yard-line.

A version of Brownie served as the team’s primary logo from 1948 until 1969. Starting in 1970 the Browns were represented by a logo-less orange helmet.

Who is Brownie The Elf?

Brownie the Elf was one of three original logos for the Browns when they came into existence starting in 1946. The logo/mascot was phased out after former team owner Art Modell’s reported hatred of it, but Brownie has made several appearances after the team returned to Cleveland in 1999.

Team members and support people walk over the Cleveland Brownie logo ahead of the Browns home opener, Sept. 18, 2022, vs. the Jets.
Team members and support people walk over the Cleveland Brownie logo ahead of the Browns home opener, Sept. 18, 2022, vs. the Jets.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Brownie the Elf Browns logo baffles Amazon's Kirk Herbstreit