The incredible story of Nike's forgotten superhero who made his debut alongside NBA legend in $125,000 suit
The superhero made his debut at a Nike event in Tokyo but the run was short-lived.
Josh Lawless
Nike have had a whole host of the world's most decorated and famous athletes signed to their brand but you might not know that the American sportswear giants once created their own superhero?
The company set up Nike Sports Entertainment, a new venture which would see huge events put on to showcase the brand and athletes like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.
It was headed up by Ian Campbell, a former triple jumper who represented Australia at the 1980 Olympics and there were big plans for the project.
Nike's mission was to revolutionise how sports were being presented and they went big on the marketing campaign after the idea of having their very own mascot came to life.
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'Swoosh-Man', a Silver Surfer and Doctor Who 'Cyberman' type character, was born and the suit was designed by Jose Fernandez, the brains behind the costume in the 'Batman Forever' film.
It didn't come on the cheap, however. The alien-like attire, which has a large red Nike Swoosh on the chest, two further ticks on the helmet and was molded out of neoprene is rumoured to have cost $125,000 and there were only two made.
Swoosh-Man was tasked with performing stunts at the aforementioned events and debuted alongside NBA legend Charles Barkley at a 'Hoops Heroes' event in Tokyo in 1996.
The Hoops Heroes tour was also Jordan's first trip to Japan and included bizarre games such as a 3-on-3 between NBA stars and sumo wrestlers.
The superhero danced and produced incredible and athletic slam dunks while being assisted by a trampoline as pyrotechnics were set off.
But who was behind the costume? Nike recruited Jon Cudo, who had been working as the mascot for the Minnesota Timberwolves for seven years.
According to a piece on Archive Threads, Cudo was headhunted and flown to Beaverton, Oregon - showing his abilities at the Bo Jackson Fitness Centre and quickly getting the gig and ending up in Los Angeles for costume fitting.
Speaking on the experience, he recalled: "It wasn't totally clear what they wanted. I remember just trying to accommodate everything they wanted... Trying to both impress and figure out what the hell they were up to."
The experiment lasted around two years and wasn't particularly successful. Cudo, who played Swoosh-Man, ended up serving as mascot for Portland Trail Blazers (then known as Portland Fire) and Cleveland Cavaliers, while also being on the panel for the Mascot Hall of Fame.
With experience in sports and entertainment has also worked a freelance live events producer for WWE