The Erie SeaWolves are officially extinct—at least for one night.
On Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, John Oliver revealed the results of his months-long campaign to rebrand one minor league baseball team. On July 19, the SeaWolves, who beat out 46 other clubs to earn a full identity overhaul, will transform into the Erie Moon Mammoths, complete with a new logo, new mascot, and what promises to be one heck of a theme night.
In typical Oliver fashion, the rebrand announcement was less about sports and more about Erie’s quirks. The segment opened with real emails from locals pitching names like the Erie Snowplows, the Erie Frozen Balls (or Nuts), and even “something involving Revolutionary War hero General ‘Mad’ Anthony Wayne’s boiled remains.”
As Oliver reminded viewers, Erie once literally boiled a general’s body—in a kettle that’s now on display at a local museum. But he ultimately passed on that theme (despite a disturbingly good fan-made logo) in favor of something even weirder: a prehistoric skeleton fished out of Lake Pleasant by a recreational diver named George Moon in 1991.
“That’s basically the best-case scenario for lake bones,” Oliver said. “You so rarely see ‘I found some bones in a lake’ stories turn out that well.”
The diver’s name, combined with Pennsylvania’s connection to lunar astronauts, sealed the deal.
The rebrand’s new mascot is “Fuzz E. Mammoth,” described by Oliver as a “pileous purple pachyderm” and “moonwalking mastodon.” A dramatic hype video—narrated by Bob Costas, because of course it was—showed the mascot emerging from history to bring cheer to the ballpark:
John Oliver has revealed the results of his months-long campaign to rebrand one minor league baseball team. On July 19, the Erie SeaWolveswill transform into the Erie Moon Mammoths, complete with a new logo, and a new mascot. Full story: https://t.co/btpZEEBqTv pic.twitter.com/0mDsCZAdKX
— LateNighter (@latenightercom) June 30, 2025
The Moon Mammoths will debut in a July 19 game against the Chesapeake Baysox, who will be rebranded that night as the “Oyster Catchers”—a name Last Week Tonight previously lampooned for its unfortunate logo.
Oliver promised to attend the game in person, alongside George Moon and a stadium full of fans ready to witness a team named after ancient bones battle one named after awkward seafood.
As we’ve reported, Last Week Tonight invited minor league baseball teams to apply for a rebrand—with no input and no takebacks. Fully 40% of all Minor League Baseball teams appled, but Erie officials won the prize after they submitted a pitch highlighting their city’s charm and contradictions, As SeaWolves president Greg Coleman revealed shortly afterwards, they knew nothing about what was coming. Now, they (and the rest of the country) finally do.
And if you’re wondering whether this is really happening, it is. The SeaWolves have confirmed it. The jerseys are coming. Fuzz E. is real. And for at least one night, the Erie Moon Mammoths will rise. (The show did not reveal whether the team’s rebrand would extend beyond the game on July 19th.)
