Remembering ‘Swoosh-Man’, Nike’s $125,000 Superhero Suit (1996)

Welcome to the 115th insertion of DEMUR®, an analytical series highlighting the intricacies of the artistic world and the minutiae lying within. In this episode we point our focus to Nike, investigating one of the world’s most expensive (and partially ridiculous) mascots, ‘Swoosh-Man’.

The year was 1996, Jon Cudo was working in the city of Minneapolis when he got an unexpected phone call. Picking up, he was briefed on a top-secret invitation from Nike’s executives, and requested to be flown to Beaverton, Oregon. Without a remote idea as to what would follow, Cudo, who at the time was enduring his 7th year as the Minnesota Timberland’s mascot, boarded a flight alongside his favourite trampoline.

Landing, he was taken to the Bo Jackson Fitness Centre located within Nike’s vast campus. Instructed to demonstrate his athletic abilities, Cudo began dunking with ease, shooting 3’s like water and dancing like a Spanish wedding. Impressed, he was hired on the spot… for a job he still wasn’t aware of, but that came afterwards.

Taken to Los Angeles for costume fitting, here he would learn of the company’s well-kept experiment. Titled ‘Nike Sports Entertainment’, the project would soon become one of the most lucrative marketing strategies of its time. Instead of using cultural icons to endorse their products, Nike would try to create massive production events, showcasing their latest technology in real-time to a curated audience.

Having some of the largest connections in the athletic niche, sourcing names like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods to appear was no large feat. However, finding a key face to promote the event was, which is where Swoosh-Man comes in. Fitted by the same costume designer that worked on the Batman franchise, technicians fabricated a neoprene shell capable of enduring rigorous activity.

Coming in at $125,000 a piece, Nike decided to purchase not one, but two of the heroic suits. Travelling across the nation, Swoosh-Man would become a figure of sport, an idol to kids around the world for the next 18 months before retirement.