Chompie: Yeah, we know what you’re going to say. He’s a giant, inflatable, five-piece mascot and he isn’t even in D.C. But Discovery’s Shark Week is one of the great summer traditions, and for its 25th year, Chompie, the mascot to eat all other mascots, made his tremendous return to Discovery Communicatons’ headquarters over downtown Silver Spring.

(Courtesy of Discovery Communications)

Last month, shark aficionados everywhere, but especially the ones in the D.C. area, were elated to hear the long-awaited news that with the 25th anniversary of Shark Week, Discovery Communications would bring Chompie back to its Silver Spring headquarters.

Chompie, of course, is the 446-foot-long inflatable great white shark whose fins span 200 feet as he hangs high above downtown Silver Spring. The five-piece installation was first deployed in 2006, then disappeared until 2010. He was missing last year, too, prompting concern over his whereabouts and, much more amusingly, a dispute over how to spell his name.

Over the weekend, Discovery put Chompie back up in his perch, a position that requires 2,000 cubic feet of air to be pumped every minute.

Discovery also shared with DCist aerial footage of Chompie’s return that will air when Shark Week begins on August 12. He’s an impressive sight. But just be careful, if you’re driving through Silver Spring over the next few weeks, keep your eyes on the road and not on the shark.

Chompie! from Gothamist on Vimeo.

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