Green Man

2006Costumed character / sports fan phenomenonclassic

Published August 17, 2026

Also known as: Greenman

Green Man is a sports fan phenomenon and recurring character from the FX comedy *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia*, originating from a real-life incident at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field around 2006. A man in a full-body green spandex bodysuit sprinted through an Eagles tailgate, inspiring the show's creator Rob McElhenney to write the character into the series as Charlie Kelly's alter ego. The Green Man costume spread from TV screens to stadiums across the country, with fans in green bodysuits popping up at everything from NFL games to PGA tournaments.

always sunny memesnfl memescosplay performance memesaccidental fame memes

Overview

Green Man is a person, usually a guy, wearing a full green lycra zentai suit that covers everything including the face, then dancing or posing in public to get a reaction1. The look is completely featureless, which is the whole joke: a smooth green silhouette flailing around behind a broadcaster or next to a golfer reads as absurd on camera3.

The bit is tied to the FX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, where Charlie Kelly wears the suit in a cold open that fans quickly clipped and shared2. From there Green Man escaped the show and turned into a stadium prank, with copies showing up at NFL games, NHL playoff crowds and even a Tiger Woods tournament3.

Origin & Background

Platform
Real-life event (Philadelphia Eagles tailgate), FX television (*It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia*)
Key People
Rob McElhenney, unnamed orthopedic surgeon friend
Date
2006

The story starts in a Philadelphia parking lot. Around October 2006, after the Eagles beat the Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field in one of the most anticipated games of the season (Terrell Owens' first return to Philly since leaving for Dallas), the crowd poured into the lots to celebrate1. Rob McElhenney, the star and creator of *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia*, was among them. While most fans went back to their tailgates, McElhenney's friend had other plans. Without warning, the man (described by McElhenney as "a well-respected orthopedic surgeon") stripped down and pulled on a full-body green spandex leotard, then took off running through the parking lot high-fiving every person in sight1.

"He was running all over the place, and everyone wanted to take pictures with him," McElhenney told ESPN. "Everyone started chanting, 'Green Man! Green Man!' It went on for several hours, and all I could think was, 'My god, there has to be a way I can take advantage of this on the show'"1.

McElhenney made good on that thought. Green Man was written into *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia*, where Charlie Kelly (played by Charlie Day) adopts the green bodysuit as his chaotic alter ego, typically appearing at sporting events while drunk or otherwise impaired4.

How It Spread

Green Man broke out of the show and into real-world sports around 2009. During that year's Buick Open, a person in the signature green bodysuit appeared in the gallery behind Tiger Woods as he prepared to tee off. The camera caught the figure dancing in the lower left corner of the frame before panning away, leaving viewers at home unsure of what they had just seen1. Deadspin covered the incident, calling Green Man a "full-blown phenomenon" and connecting it directly to the FX show's influence2.

From there, the green bodysuit started appearing at events across the country. ESPN's Toby Mergler wrote in 2009 that Green Man had become "the sports world's version of Waldo," showing up at games coast to coast and appearing on ESPN broadcasts regularly1. The trend had legs: fans in green bodysuits turned up at NFL games, college football, basketball, and other events, each one hoping to get caught on camera for a brief, surreal moment of anonymous fame.

Mergler even published a wish list of sporting events where Green Man should appear next, including the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, Wimbledon, the Westminster Dog Show, and the Kentucky Derby1. The challenge was aimed directly at college students and diehard fans.

How to Use This Meme

The format is simple: get a solid green lycra or spandex zentai suit that covers the head, then show up somewhere with cameras, ideally behind a broadcaster, near a mascot or in the stands at a game. Common convention is to dance badly, mimic the players or stand very still in the background so the suit reads on TV. Some fans stack the joke by pairing a Green Man with a Red Man, referencing later Always Sunny episodes.

Frequently Asked Questions