For more than forty years, only a few men NOT named Ted Giannoulas have donned the beak and feathers of the San Diego Chicken.And now you can join the list… but it’s going to cost you.
That’s because Goldin Auctions currently has an original San Diego Chicken head up for bids. Yup…one of the same costumed heads that Giannoulas has been wearing since his “Grand Hatching” at Jack Murphy Stadium in 1979 until now.
Now, if you’re planning on bidding on the thing, you can rest assured, it is the genuine article. That said, it didn’t come from Giannoulas himself.“While it is authentic, I did not put it up for bid and have absolutely no knowledge of who did,” Giannoulas told The Hall. “Over the decades, there have only been a few instances of where I have turned over a head piece to anyone, but I cannot recall with whom I may have given this one.”
It’s worth noting that while the item up for bid is a real Chicken head, the man who has spent more than four decades behind the mask says it isn’t completely original.
“I have no idea how or why a ‘tongue’ was placed in the beak,” Giannoulas added. “Very strange.”And creepy.In any case, happy bidding!