You can create your own ‘Itty Bitty Gritty’ at a new Gritty store at the Wells Fargo Center

Elbowing his way into a market currently cornered by American Girl doll stores and Build-A-Bear Workshops, Gritty is opening his own store at the Wells Fargo Center on Monday, complete with a make-your-own “Itty Bitty Gritty” experience.

Take that sheet cake to the face, cuddly teddy bears and cute little girls.

Located across from section 118, Gritty’s Chaos Factory will offer a variety of merchandise featuring the Flyers mascot, the living embodiment of chaotic neutral and the orange personification of Philly’s id.

The main feature of the store will be the ability to customize your own “Itty Bitty Gritty.” Fans can buy a Gritty doll for $39.99 that comes with a jersey and the option to purchase additional costumes — modeled after iconic ones Gritty has worn, like his turkey and leprechaun suits — for $14.99 to $19.99.

The Itty Bitty Gritty dolls also squeak and come with interchangeable belly buttons, just like the real thing.

“On the outside, the Itty Bitty Gritty looks like me, it squeaks like me, and it has my eyes.. but on the inside, it’s all Chaos,” Gritty wrote in an Instagram post Monday. “Some call it a plush doll, some call it an action figure.. but I want to make something VERY clear. it’s both... but better.”

Christine Mina, senior vice president of marketing for the Flyers, said this is believed to be the first store ever devoted to a pro team’s mascot. It will only be open during Flyers games, to help draw Gritty’s fans (a.k.a. “Gritizens”) to see his antics in person and maybe catch some hockey, too.

“Gritty’s brand is a huge opportunity for us and we’re always looking for ways to further connect with fans and bring them into the building,” she said.

The opening of Gritty’s Chaos Factory comes two years after the Flyers established Gritty’s Chaos Corner in section 122. Fans who buy tickets in that section get a front-row seat to Gritty’s game-time shenanigans. Mina said the section has been popular not only with kids and parents, but with other adult Flyers fans and fans from opposing teams too.

“He has a huge adult audience, which is a little unique to his brand and to mascots across the board,” she said. “It’s been a fun opportunity for us to bring new fans who might not have come otherwise.”

Since his debut in 2018, which initially led to a wave of horror and then to undying devotion by the people of Philadelphia, Gritty’s fanbase has grown across the country and around the world.

Sure, he’s beloved for being unhinged, picking fights with opposing fans, and cultivating nonsense like a well-pruned garden, but, like Philly, Gritty also has a softer side. He visits kids in hospitals and marches for love in Philly’s Pride Parade, too. You never know which Gritty you’re going to get, and that’s part of his charm.

“Chaos is a pillar of Gritty’s brand. It’s what makes him so fun and unpredictable,” Mina said. “You never know what he’s going to be or what he’s going to do, but you know he’s going to enjoy it.”

Gritty may stop by his Chaos Factory from time to time to meet with his fans and hang with his minions (a.k.a. Itty Bitty Grittys), Mina said.

“We’re excited to see what people do with their Itty Bitty Grittys — what outfits they pick and the chaos they reign with them,” she said.