Editing Youppi! (section)

== Youppi portrayers ==
In the 26 seasons that Youppi was working with the Expos, only 5 men portrayed the mascot: Denis Desaulniers, Jean-Claude Tremblay, Claude Hubert, Jean-Simon Bibeau and Sylvain Ouellette.

=== Denis Desaulniers (1979–1983) ===
Denis Desaulniers was the first to wear the costume following the shift from Souki to Youppi. Inspired by the popularity and irreverence of the San Diego Chicken, Desaulniers auditioned for and received the part at 25 years old. During his career as Youppi, Desaulniers strived to create a warm soul and fun-loving attitude for the character.

Desaulniers also introduced one of Youppi's most iconic moves: punching himself in the nose. He claims this was to stay in character while adjusting the head of the costume so he could see. Underneath the head of the mascot, he wore a motorcycle helmet with a thick layer of styrofoam to protect his head, which would cause the mascot's head to fall forward frequently.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Godin |first=Marc Antoine |title=Before Youppi there was Souki, the Expos mascot that made children cry |url=https://theathletic.com/1886802/2020/06/23/before-youppi-there-was-souki-the-expos-mascot-that-made-children-cry/ |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=The Athletic |language=en}}</ref>

=== Jean-Claude Tremblay (1983–1985) ===
Jean-Claude Tremblay had his first interaction with the Expos after being hired to fix the mascot's costume.<ref name="ICI.Radio-Canada.ca">{{Cite web |last=ICI.Radio-Canada.ca |first=Zone Sports- |title=Dans la tête de Youppi : la mascotte vue par ceux qui l'ont incarnée {{!}} Vous avez vu? |url=https://ici.radio-canada.ca/sports/1875809/youppi-balado-ohdio-expos-baseball-mascotte-montreal |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=Radio-Canada.ca |language=fr-ca}}</ref> At the time, Tremblay was doing corporate mascot gigs to make ends meet while working full-time at his brother's art shop. Once the Expos' team discovered Tremblay's talents as a mascot, he was offered the opportunity to succeed Desaulniers.

Tremblay was responsible for many changes to Youppi's costume, including more securely-attached eyes and a swap from the scruffy old material to washable parts following complaints (including his own) of the mascot's smell.

After 3 seasons, Tremblay surrendered his role as Youppi to focus on his real passion: creating mascots. As of 2023, he is one of the most prominent mascot manufacturers in North America, credited with creating mascots such as the [[Raymond (mascot)|Tampa Bay Ray's Raymond]] and [[Blue (NFL mascot)|the Indianapolis Colt's Blue]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cacciola |first=Scott |date=2015-09-23 |title=The Man Behind the Mascots Is a Character, Too |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/24/sports/the-man-behind-the-mascots-is-a-character-too.html |access-date=2023-07-03 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Claude Hubert (1985–1991) ===
Claude Hubert was involved with mascots for around 20 years; he worked for many Canadian sports teams, such as the [[Montreal Dragons]] and the [[Montreal Machine]].

As Youppi, Hubert was responsible for the first and only incident wherein a mascot was expelled from a Major League Baseball game. As Youppi, Hubert hopped on top of the away team's dugout during an Expos v. Dodgers game and, following continued antics, was confronted by [[Tommy Lasorda]]. (Hubert claims to have already known of Lasorda's distaste for mascots following his infamous "tussle" with the [[Phillie Phanatic|Philly Phanatic]].)<ref>{{Cite web |title=No love lost between Phanatic, late Lasorda |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/phanatic-s-history-with-tommy-lasorda |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}</ref> After the scuffle began to escalate, [[Bob Davidson (umpire)|Bob Davidson]], the umpire during that game, made the decision to eject Youppi, who was eventually readmitted following chants from the crowd and a promise to remain on the Expos' side of the field.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How did a mascot get ejected from a game? |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/mascot-gets-ejected-from-game |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== Jean-Simon Bibeau (1988–1990, 2003–present) ===
This was not Bibeau's first experience with athletic recognition, as he was already holding a USA NCAA record for goals scored in a season while playing hockey with the [[State University of New York at Plattsburgh|Plattsburg Cardinals]] at this time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jean-Simon Bibeau Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com |url=https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=171777 |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=www.hockeydb.com}}</ref>

By 1995, Bibeau directed all of Youppi's activities for the Expos, and would continue following Youppi's transition from baseball with the Expos to hockey with the Montreal Canadiens to the present day. Bibeau shared the full responsibilities of Youppi with Hubert.

=== Sylvain Ouellette (1996–2003) ===
The last to portray Youppi during his time as a baseball mascot, Sylvain Ouellette was previously working as an entertainer at nightclubs. While working in nightclubs, he met Vincent Guy Aubry, a DJ who often worked at the Olympic Stadium during Expos games. After hearing the Expos were looking for a mascot, Aubry mentioned Ouellette to his superior at the stadium. Although Ouellette was not a baseball fan at the time, his love and passion for entertaining landed him the job.

During the Expos' two seasons in Puerto Rico, Ouellette proved especially valuable due to his Spanish proficiency and experience with Latin dancing and culture.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sports |first=Jeremy Filosa {{!}} 98,5 |date=2020-06-18 |title=Sylvain Ouellette, du Club Med à Youppi |url=https://www.985fm.ca/nouvelles/315266/sylvain-ouellette-du-club-med-a-youppi |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=98.5 Montréal |language=fr}}</ref>