When the late Bill Giles was the Philadelphia Phillies’ director of business operations in the early 1970s, part of his role was to mount nonbaseball entertainment that would draw people to Veterans Stadium.

His marketing director, Dennis Lehman, traveled with the team and after seeing the San Diego Padres’ San Diego Chicken was convinced the Phillies needed a mascot.

Giles turned him down three times, saying that mascots were only appropriate for high schools and colleges. Giles finally said OK, just to get people off his back and show what a dumb idea it was.

After the Phillie Phanatic was born, it didn’t take Giles long to realize how wrong he was.

Here we are 48 years later and the Phanatic is still very much alive and well. Generally considered the best mascot in sports, the Big Green Guy is the subject of the 95-minute “Big Phan,” a documentary that made its world premiere at the Philadelphia Film Festival Oct. 17 and will be screened again Oct. 25.

The documentary is not yet available online but its creators are working on getting it out to viewers as soon as possible.

What the documentary makes clear is that the Phanatic is appreciated, enjoyed and even loved by almost anybody with whom it comes into contact.

The Phanatic’s two best friends (i.e. those in the suit) have been Dave Raymond, 70, from 1978 to 1993, and Jenkintown native and former Flourtown resident Tom Burgoyne, 61, from 1994 to the present.

The documentary, directed by Flourtown native Hoag Kepler, 46, like the Phanatic, is entertaining and informative its entire length.

“The essence of the Phanatic’s character is the essence of my character, too,” Burgoyne said. “I never get tired of it. How great it is to work at Citizens Bank Park and the Vet. Once the costume goes on, life is good. It’s hard to get tired of that.”

He also noted that, “I’ve had some injuries and could hardly move. Then I’d get into the costume and it’s kind of mind over matter. Maybe it’s the positive vibes the fans surround the Phanatic with. We’re just spreading love. That pain goes away. It really does.”

In addition to learning the Phanatic’s history and that of his two “best friends” in “Big Phan,” we get to hear from a wide variety of local sports folk including, to name a few, former Phillies shortstop and manager Larry Bowa; Phillies third baseman and Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt; Phillies first baseman/right fielder Bryce Harper; current broadcaster Tom McCarthy; retired Eagles center Jason Kelce; former first baseman and current color analyst John Kruk; retired Phillies Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and Chase Utley; actor and podcaster Jason Alexander; Joe West, the longest serving umpire in major league history; and Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers mascot.

Alexander, interviewing the Phanatic for his podcast, told Raymond, “Your knowledge of physical comedy, this physical work, is so classy that if you’re in the last row of the stadium you know exactly what game’s afoot. What he’s doing reads to the person three feet away and 300 feet away.”

Umpire Joe West said, “I think baseball is like a huge city and everybody has their own little piece of the whole package. He would make fun of us now and then but he was a pleasure to work with.”

John Kruk, who is often the victim of some of the Phanatic’s pranks in the broadcast booth, said, in typical Krukian style: “I don’t hate him. I get annoyed with him but I don’t hate him.”

Jason Kelce noted that “The Phanatic is a character that nobody really gets and Philadelphia is saying ‘that’s our guy.’”

Flyers mascot Gritty says that Raymond “helps other teams develop their mascots. There’s heart behind it. There are brains behind it. He has essentially written the playbook for the next generation.”

The conversations between the Phanatic’s two “best friends” sparkle with the pleasure and energy they feel and the joy they hope to create for those who spend time in the Big Green Guy’s presence.

Raymond told Burgoyne near the end of “Big Phan” that “you and I are going to be long gone from the planet and the Phanatic will still be there,” maybe even for “hundreds of years.”

McCarthy said, “The Phanatic is one of us. I hope he goes on forever because he’s truly a gift to the people in this organization and also in Philadelphia.”

Schmidt said “I haven’t the slightest idea what he makes but if you told me he makes the same salary as Bryce Harper, I’d say he deserves it.”

After watching “Big Phan,” it’s clear that Schmidt is right. It’s a terrific telling of a great character’s history and the two men who have brought him to life.

Clark Groome can be reached at cgroome@comcast.net.