Meet the Parks Mascot

The Parks Department is pleased to introduce our new mascot… drum roll… It's Pearl the Squirrel! Pearl loves exploring the natural wonders of New York City's parkland.

Here are a few fun facts on… wait a minute… Pearl has just tapped us on the shoulder to remind us that she can very well speak for herself. Take it away, Pearl!

Here's Some Trivia About Me!

Place of Birth: Van Cortlandt Park Preserve.

Favorite Color: Green! Kermit the Frog may have said it’s not easy being green but I disagree. I love that we’re greening our city!

Favorite Food: Acorns. Yum. And hollow acorns make great whistles too! But I like people food too, including Shake Shack burgers and tacos from the Red Hook vendors!

Favorite Movie/TV Show: It’s My Park on NYCTV.

Favorite Game: I’m getting pretty good at Match It! on ParKids NYC.

Favorite Weekend Activity: I love to go to the Alley Pond Park Adventure Course on Sunday mornings and get a taste of what life must be like for my cousins, the flying squirrels.

Other Interests/Hobbies: Bicycling the greenways of New York City. I learned to bike at Star Track, so I’m pretty fast!

If I Weren’t the Parks Mascot, I’d Be: A tour guide at Historic Richmond Town in Staten Island. I love history, especially New York City history, and I think tours are a fun way to learn.

Inspirations/ Role Models: My father, Earl the Parks Squirrel. I was inspired by the way he helped the Urban Park Rangers teach New Yorkers about ice safety when I was a little squirrel.

Aspirations: Plant tree one million AND ONE after MillionTreesNYC reaches its goal.

Pearl’s Past: Pick Parks’ Mascot Campaign

Pearl was born out of the submissions of hundreds of NYC parks fans from around the world. Read about them, and their ideas for the perfect Parks mascot, below.

About the Illustrator

Adam Koford is an improbably prolific cartoonist who has been involved in several projects, including "700 Hoboes" and "Conan vs. Bear." He has a webcomic entitled the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats, a collection of which is available from Abrams ComicArts.; Adam works for Disney Interactive in Salt Lake City, Utah and is a regular contributor to Drawn.ca.

Honorable Mentions