Who should be TIME’s ‘Person of the Year’? Gritty has an idea.
From President Trump to Donald Glover, the magazine is taking suggestions in its annual "Person of the Year" poll — but Philadelphia Flyers' latest mascot Gritty, is taking his exclusion from the list as a slight.
Who would you pick to be TIME's "Person of the Year"?
From President Trump to Donald Glover, the magazine is taking suggestions in its annual "Person of the Year" poll — but the Philadelphia Flyers' mascot is taking its exclusion from the list as a slight.
TIME shared its reader poll Tuesday morning, featuring a long-list of choices picked "for having the greatest influence on the events of the past 12 months" — but the cult sensation caught the attention of thousands by sharing an animated mock-up cover blazoned with the character's bright orange mug.
As a reply to TIME's reader call-out, the faux issue's title also rearranges to read, "It Me," a reference to Gritty's viral entrance into the Twittersphere after he was introduced by the hockey team in September.
Gritty's take is just yet another meme to be added to the his collection — just ask staff writer Cassie Owens, who took a deep dive into why the mascot still has so much holding power on the internet even months after his debut.
Gritty's resumé, however, may not be up to par with the competition. Some others featured on the poll include Christine Blasey Ford, the California psychology professor who raised allegations of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh earlier this fall as well at the divers who helped to rescue a soccer team from a cave in Thailand over the summer. Earth — yeah, the planet — also got a shout-out on the list, too.
President Trump recently remarked that he should be named "Person of the Year," a title he received from the magazine in 2016.
"I don't know, that is up to TIME magazine," he told reporters Tuesday, according to the Washington Post. "I can't imagine anybody else other than Trump, can you imagine anybody else other than Trump?"
The Person of the Year in 2017 were the Silence Breakers, recognizing various voices that spoke out against sexual assault. In 2016, the Taney Dragon's Mo'ne Davis and star of the 2014 Little League World Series was one of the 12 faces featured for TIME's "Firsts: Women Who Are Changing the World" series.
TIME notes that while it takes reader opinions into consideration, its editorial team will have the final say. This year's pick will appear in the magazine's December issue.
Those interested can track the results of TIME's poll on its website.