from “le détroit” · the strait
Detroit City FC says Friendly, the bear it famously pulled from a dumpster, was taken from a staff member's car in an overnight New Center break-in. The club is asking anyone who sees him to keep an eye out and share its post.
By Marcus
Contributing Writer · June 13, 2026 · 2 min read
Detroit City FC is asking the city for help after someone stole Friendly, the club's mascot, from a staff member's car in an overnight break-in.
"Our beloved Friendly was stolen from a member of our staff's car during a break-in last night," the club wrote Saturday on Instagram, under a notice headed "MISSING... Detroit, we need your help." The bear was "last seen last night in the New Center Area near E Grand and St. Antoine," according to the post.
The club said the staff member is safe and that the break-in "isn't on them." Its ask to supporters was simple: keep an eye out, and share the post so it travels. "We take care of our people, and we're asking our community to help take care of Friendly," the club wrote. "Let's bring Friendly home."
If you do not follow Detroit City FC, the name needs a little history. Friendly is not a designed-in-a-boardroom mascot. He started as a polar bear costume somebody threw out. In a 2021 feature, Sports Illustrated put it plainly: "Friendly the Bear was discovered, abandoned, in a dumpster." A friend of the club's founders pulled the suit out of the trash and brought it to the team.
"We were looking for halftime entertainment and we decided to use Friendly one game, and it kind of caught on," cofounder and CEO Sean Mann told the magazine. "We just loved the idea that it was a dumpster bear."
That accidental bear became one of the most recognizable things about the club. He works the family section at Keyworth Stadium and turns up at community events, and supporters have folded him into their banners and tifos. He has been photographed holding a Detroit City FC belt and waving to packed stands. For a team that built its whole identity on doing things its own scrappy way, a mascot rescued from a dumpster was always going to fit.
Now the club wants him back. If you live or work around New Center, or were near East Grand and St. Antoine over the weekend, keep an eye out for the costume. Share Detroit City FC's post so it reaches more people, and if you spot Friendly, let the club know.
"Let's bring Friendly home."
One dispatch a week. No tracking, no filler. Free, always.