SUMMIT HILL, Pa. -- A man from Carbon County has become an internet sensation because of a perfectly executed Halloween costume that imitates a new Philadelphia sports mascot.
Sitting inside Batter's Box Sports Bar and Grille in Summit Hill is a diehard Philadelphia Flyers fan who's gone viral on the internet, but you might not recognize him in his normal attire.
"So, when I look at Gritty, I see the long beard, the long hair, the crazy eyes," said Matt Kusko. "He just represents what I think of Philadelphia."
Gritty is the new Philadelphia Flyers mascot, who has taken over the sports world. Matt Kusko has nailed it.
"I kind of kept it a secret from my friends and started piecing together my costume. No one knew what was coming and they definitely weren't going to expect what they saw."
Kusko showed up to a recent Halloween party in full Gritty attire. His friends said the costume was so identical to the real thing, it was destined to go viral and that it did.
Barstool Sports posted a side-by-side picture to its Instagram account that has 5.5 million followers. The picture itself has nearly 140,000 likes and more than 3,000 comments.
"Barstool is huge. They have millions of followers. As soon as I got the notification from one of my friends who tagged me that said, 'You made Barstool,' I was beyond ecstatic," said Kusko.
Kusko adds he's not retiring the costume just yet.