For over four decades, Fredbird has been the feathery face of the St. Louis Cardinals, delighting fans with his antics on and off the field. Now, the iconic mascot is once again in the spotlight as he’s nominated for the Mascot Hall of Fame making it a wonderful time time to remember the Jewish story behind this beloved bird.
The Jewish Connection: Marty Hendin’s Vision
I first heard about Fredbird’s Jewish origins during a 1998 interview with Marty Hendin, the longtime Cardinals executive. We were sitting in his trinket-filled office inside the old Busch Stadium when Hendin fondly recalled how the iconic mascot first took flight. It all started in 1979, when he pitched the idea of bringing a costumed character to life—a bold move at the time.
Hendin passed away in January 2008 after battling cancer, but his legacy at the Cardinals endures.
Though he often downplayed his role in the “hatching” of Fredbird, insisting the idea was inspired by the wildly popular San Diego Chicken, many credit him as the bird’s true creator. “Everyone wants to credit me with inventing him and I didn’t. He was sort of put under my wing, so to speak,” I remember him saying during that interview.
Marty’s secret closet
Hendin’s office at Busch Memorial Stadium was a treasure trove of baseball history, affectionately dubbed “Trinket City.” It was a space packed with souvenirs, memorabilia and keepsakes collected over his 33-year career with the team. Today, a portion of Hendin’s extensive collection is on display at the UMSL Student Center, while another portion is preserved inside the new Busch Stadium and can be seen during a stadium tour.
But it was the secret closet near his office that really captured his playful spirit. I first revealed its existence in a 2021 article for the Jewish Light, the last time Fredbird was in the running for the Mascot Hall of Fame. It was a small, forgotten space filled with piles of leftover giveaways—some dating back to the 1987 World Series. Hendin once told me I could take as much as I wanted for use in on-air giveaways, so I quietly began moving boxes of these forgotten treasures from his secret stash to my office at KSDK, where I gave away hundreds of items over the years.
A lasting legacy
After the Cardinals won their 11th World Series in 2011, Jewish Light Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Robert Cohn reflected on Hendin’s remarkable career in a moving tribute:
“For 35 years, Hendin had the dream job of working for the team he loved since childhood, making sure the myriad details of promoting the St. Louis Cardinals during good times and challenging times were attended to professionally. He was always the quintessential mensch of the media.”
Cohn went on to describe the spiritual resonance of Hendin’s work, writing:
“I firmly believe that if there is a World to Come for baseball, then Busch Stadium this past week was its ‘Garden of Eden,’ an Earthly Paradise that came together during Game Six. It came during a week in which the Torah portion was Bereshit, or Genesis, when the work of Creation was completed on the Sixth Day. And if anyone deserves to dwell in that Baseball World to Come, it is the neshama, the great soul of Marty Hendin, who was taken from our mortal midst on Jan. 12, 2008, at the much too young age of 59.”
Voting for the Mascot Hall of Fame continues through May 24 and Fredbird’s journey from a whimsical idea to an emblem of St. Louis sports feels more relevant than ever. As fans cast their votes, they’re also celebrating the legacy of a man who believed in making baseball more than just a game—it was about family, fun and a little bit of feathered flair.
