VIDEO: Franklin introduced as new 76ers mascot

It's a great day for Zach Lowe, the Philadelphia 76ers and mascot lovers everywhere.

The Sixers unveiled their new mascot on Tuesday, introducing the world to a fluffy blue dog named Franklin. He's got quite the energy about him, and the children on hand for his introduction seemed to love him.

That shouldn't be surprising considering how the 76ers came up with the design for Franklin. As Lowe reported for Grantland on Monday:

The Sixers consulted several experts, including Dave Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic, but they handed most of the creative duties to 1,000 kids ages 6 to 10 in the Delaware Valley, says Tim McDermott, the team’s chief marketing officer. The team’s research showed that most fans become fans within that age range, and so the Sixers decided to build a mascot kids that age would like.

The 76ers found that children liked a dog, liked the color blue, want Franklin to be mobile enough to run and dunk and, naturally, bust a move.

Robin Lopez, you have your next target.