Monkey Business

BusinessWeek: It’s not safe coaching third base — or any base, for that matter — when the ZOOperstars are in town. Just ask the countless coaches who have been swallowed whole by 10-foot-tall Clammy Sosa, one of the most popular of the ZOOperstars.
In the mascot troupe’s signature bit, the impressively tall inflatable clam clad in a Sammy Sosa jersey greedily “devours” opposing coaches, bat boys, or whoever else happens to be around, then spits out his meal’s shirt, shoes, and cap, all while Weird Al Yankovic’s Eat It plays in the background.
“Yeah, the Eat It skit is a real favorite,” says Dominic Latkovski, who founded ZOOperstars with his brother, Brennan, in 1998. “The crowd loves it.”
It’s just one reason why the Louisville-based ZOOperstars have turned into one of the hottest sideline acts in the sports world. The company’s goal is to perform in 300 shows at various events this year — from the hardwood of the National Basketball Assn. to the fields of Minor League Baseball, the company’s biggest sport. Latkovski says revenue from ZOOperstars may hit $1 million this year.
ZOOperstars: Sport’s Sultans of Silly [BusinessWeek]