'It just went crazy': Creator of Brewers' Racing Sausage mascots reflects on first race, 30 years later

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Milwaukee Brewers hosted a special celebration Friday, to honor the famous Racing Sausages' 30th anniversary.

It all started as a black and white animation on the Milwaukee County Stadium scoreboard.

"It was really popular. As soon as it came on, everyone was cheering for something," said Michael Dillon, the original Racing Bratwurst.

In 1992, Dillon, a Milwaukee-based designer, had an idea to make those sausages come to life.

"Michael said, 'We'll build the costumes if we can run,'" said Jeff Paul, the original racing Polish Sausage.

Dillon pitched the idea to Paul's dad, who was the VP of stadium operations.

"Next spring, he called me and said, 'Okay, let's do it,'" Dillon said. "I just got some foam rubber, made some tubes, and there we have it."

For the first run, Dillon claimed the bratwurst, Paul was the Polish, and their friend, Dan Necci, was the Italian sausage.

On June 27, 1993, Milwaukee's 7-foot Racing Sausages made their debut, to the surprise of both the crowd and the players.

"We ran in and it just like, I'm getting goosebumps, it just went crazy," Dillon recalled.

"I remember there's a lot of cheers, but all I remember is trying not to trip," Paul said.

The sausages raced at a few more day games in 1993, usually only on Sundays.

Dillon, Paul, and Necci donned the costumes three times before passing them on to the stadium.

"I gave them up for adoption," Dillon joked.

In 1994, the sausages began racing at every home game.

Now, there are five Racing Sausages, including the hot dog and chorizo.

"Who would have thought that would be a thing that everyone looks forward to at every game?" Paul said.

Thirty years later, the tradition lives on -- a reminder of their beefy impact on the Brew City.

"Everything about it was a great experience," Dillon said.

Dillon threw the first pitch at Friday's Brewers home game against the Cincinnati Reds.