crunch

Crunch is the Timberwolves’ longtime mascot, arriving in the Twin Cities with the team in 1989.  Crunch was named after the popular candy bar made by Swiss chocolatier Nestle, an early sponsor of the new team.  In addition to entertaining the crowd during Wolves games, Crunch makes regular appearances at events in the Twin Cities and in outstate Minnesota.

"Crunch was born in the northernmost part of Minnesota’s wilderness areas. Deep in the forest, he grew with a love for something never before seen by others in his pack. Crunch's love for the game of basketball puzzled his mother and father, for he seemed to pick up the game on his own. With a makeshift basket built of pine-cones and birch bark, Crunch began to refine his game when he was still just a young pup. He learned the rules and techniques that make the game of basketball so great. He studied players and coaches alike, and soon would find himself on a journey like no other. Years later, when Minnesota’s expansion team, the Timberwolves, came to town, Crunch said goodbye to all he had known growing up in the woods, and migrated south to the Twin Cities where the team was to be based. No one is quite sure where Crunch lives, but legend has it he has a den somewhere deep inside the Target Center. He is lured out on game-days by the deafening howl made by Wolves fans. This howl creates an atmosphere in the Target Center that reminds Crunch of his days back in the forest, and yet keeps him here in Minneapolis, with the pursuit of helping the team to a victory."

-from Crunch’s official team bio

Numbers

Crunch has changed jersey numbers several times over his time with the team:
  • 99 1/2: When Crunch (and the team) was born in 1989, he was sponsored by legendary (and much missed) top 40 radio station 99.5 (pronounced “ninety-nine and a half”) WLOL.
  • 101.3: After the new owners of WLOL changed the station’s music from dance to classical, the station’s fierce rival, 101.3 KDWB, took over the sponsorship.
  • 00: After the KDWB sponsorship came to an end in the mid 2000s, Crunch began wearing the double-aught, which he rocked for many years...
  • 89: ...until Terrence Shannon Jr. joined the Wolves in 2024 and claimed 00. For his new number, Crunch chose 89, in honor of the Wolves’ first year in the NBA.

Stats

Height: 6’ (ground to the tip of ears)

Weight: Seasonal

Vertical Jump: 15’ (with trampoline)

Favorites

Movie: “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey”

Book: “The True Story Of The 3 Little Pigs!”

Dunk: The Inside-Out Flying Dutchman With A Twist

Type Of Music: Techno Howl

Pre-Game Meal: Bacon-Wrapped Bacon

Chomper

In recent years, an inflatable version of Crunch entertains during home games.  Air Crunch is often joined by an equally inflated sidekick, Chomper.

air crunch + chomper

Photo credit: carl_bassets/Reddit