Baseball is basically a game of ghosts. You see it every time a guy walks up to the plate at Target Field; he isn't just fighting a 98-mph fastball, he’s carrying the weight of everyone who played there before him. For folks in the Upper Midwest, that history is wrapped up in one specific image. I’m talking about the Minnesota Twins old logo—the one with the two guys shaking hands over a river.
It’s iconic. It’s weird. Honestly, it’s kind of a miracle it ever worked.
When the Washington Senators packed up their bags and headed to the Land of 10,000 Lakes in 1961, they didn't just need a new stadium. They needed an identity that wouldn't make the people in St. Paul want to fight the people in Minneapolis. That’s a tall order. If you’ve ever spent a winter in the Cities, you know that the rivalry used to be way more intense than it is now. Back then, it was a legitimate feud. The solution? Ray Barton. He’s the illustrator who sketched out Minnie and Paul.
These two characters represent the "Twin" cities. They are literally shaking hands over the Mississippi River. It’s a peace treaty in polyester.
The Secret Geometry of Minnie and Paul
Look closely at that Minnesota Twins old logo from the 60s. It isn’t just a drawing; it’s a masterclass in regional diplomacy. Minnie (representing Minneapolis) is on the left, wearing the white home uniform. Paul (representing St. Paul) is on the right, wearing the gray road flannels. Why? Because Minneapolis was technically the "primary" city for the stadium's location at the old Met, but giving St. Paul the "road" jersey meant they were always part of the journey.
It’s subtle. Most people miss it.
The river between them isn't just a blue line. It’s the literal barrier that Barton had to bridge. He didn’t give them faces with eyes or mouths. They’re blank slates. You can project yourself onto them. Maybe that’s why it feels so timeless despite being a product of the Mad Men era of graphic design.
The original logo stayed the primary mark until 1986. Think about the legends who wore it. Harmon Killebrew. Rod Carew. Tony Oliva. These guys weren't just ballplayers; they were the human embodiments of that handshake. When you see a vintage 1970s snapback with that circular patch, you aren't just looking at a sports team. You're looking at the era of Metropolitan Stadium, where the wind howled off the prairie and the bleachers felt like they might actually collapse if the crowd cheered too hard for a Killebrew moonshot.
Changing the Vibe in the 80s
By the mid-80s, things got... corporate. It happens to everyone. The team moved into the Metrodome in 1982, and suddenly the outdoor, gritty feel of the original logo felt out of place in a giant inflatable bag.
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In 1987, the team officially pivoted. They didn't kill Minnie and Paul, but they sidelined them. The "M" with the underline and the "Twins" script became the focal point. Sure, they won World Series in '87 and '91 with that look. You can't argue with rings. Kirby Puckett sliding into home or Jack Morris pitching ten innings of shut-out ball happened under the "M" logo.
But the soul stayed with the old logo.
Fans never really let go of the handshake. Even during the dark years of the late 90s when the team was facing contraction—remember that nightmare?—the retro gear kept selling. It was a security blanket. If the team was going to be taken away, at least we had the memories of the guys in the white and gray uniforms shaking hands over the river.
Why the "M" Logo Failed to Displace the Handshake
The 1987-2009 era of the Twins logo was successful because the team was winning. Let’s be real. If they had lost 100 games a year in the Metrodome, we’d hate those logos. But even at its peak, the underlined "Twins" script felt a bit like a grocery store brand. It was clean. It was professional. It was also kind of boring.
The Minnesota Twins old logo had a narrative.
Modern sports logos are designed by committees and branding agencies like Nike’s GID or specialized firms. They focus on "scalability" and "digital legibility." They want to make sure the logo looks good as a tiny icon on a smartphone screen. Ray Barton wasn't thinking about iPhones in 1961. He was thinking about how to make a kid in Bloomington feel like he belonged to something bigger.
The original logo has "texture." It feels hand-drawn because it was. There’s a slight wobble to the lines that gives it a human warmth you just don't get with vector art created in Adobe Illustrator.
When the Twins moved to Target Field in 2010, they knew they had to go back to the future. They brought the handshake back. They didn't make it the primary logo again right away, but they put a giant, neon-lit version of it in center field. When a Twin hits a home run, Minnie and Paul light up and shake hands. It’s the best celebration in the league. It’s a bridge between the generations. You see grandpas pointing at the sign, explaining to their grandkids who those guys are.
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That’s the power of a legacy mark.
The 2023 Rebrand: A New Spin on the Old Classic
In late 2022, the Twins announced a massive overhaul for the 2023 season. This was a big deal. They worked with designer Garth Garner and the firm Matthew Wolff Design. The goal was to "simplify."
The result? They leaned even harder into the Minnesota Twins old logo DNA.
They introduced a new "M" with a North Star above it, but the real star of the show was the refined Minnie and Paul. They cleaned up the lines. They adjusted the colors to a more vibrant "Federal Red" and "Navy Blue." They removed the "Win! Twins!" text from the background to make it punchier.
Some purists hated it. They always do. People don't like it when you touch their childhood. But if you look at the 2023 version side-by-side with the 1961 original, the spirit is identical. It’s still two guys, still a handshake, still the Mississippi River. They just took off the 60-year-old dust.
What’s interesting is that the Twins are one of the few teams that successfully navigated a move from "classic" to "modern" and back to "classic-modern" without losing their mind. Look at what the Marlins have done—they change their identity every five minutes. The Twins realized that their 1961 identity was their greatest asset.
Collecting the Vintage Mark
If you're out there looking for authentic gear featuring the Minnesota Twins old logo, you've got to be careful. The "Cooperstown Collection" stuff is fine, but it’s mass-produced.
The real prizes are the items from the early 60s.
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- Look for the "Wilson" or "Rawlings" tags in vintage jerseys.
- The embroidery on the original patches was often thicker and more irregular.
- The blue was a bit darker, almost a midnight navy, compared to the brighter blues used in modern reproductions.
There’s a whole subculture of Twins fans who only wear the "handshake." It’s a signal. It says you know about the Met. You know about the 1965 World Series loss to the Dodgers (which still hurts, honestly). You know that the team isn't just a Minneapolis team—it’s a regional powerhouse.
Misconceptions About the Logo
One thing people get wrong all the time is the names. They call them "The Twins Guys." No. It’s Minnie and Paul.
Another weird myth is that the logo was inspired by a specific photo. It wasn't. It was a conceptual piece designed to satisfy the political needs of two cities that couldn't agree on anything. In 1961, there was talk of calling them the "Twin Cities Twins." The owner, Calvin Griffith, eventually settled on Minnesota Twins—becoming the first professional team to name themselves after a state rather than a city. The logo had to do the heavy lifting of explaining that "Minnesota" meant both Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Also, some people think the handshake is a "secret society" thing. It’s not. It’s just a friendly greeting. Though, in the context of 1960s baseball, it was a pretty radical statement of unity.
How to Style Retro Twins Gear Today
You don't have to look like you're heading to a 1964 doubleheader to pull this off.
Modern streetwear has embraced the Minnesota Twins old logo because of its "Americana" vibe. A cream-colored hoodie with the Minnie and Paul patch on the chest is basically a staple in North Loop bars these days. The key is contrast. Pair a vintage-style navy cap with something modern—maybe a tech jacket or a clean white tee.
The logo works because it isn't aggressive. Most sports logos are "angry." Think about the Vikings logo or the Timberwolves’ howling wolf. They’re meant to look intimidating. The Twins logo is the opposite. It’s welcoming. It’s about community. In a world where everything feels increasingly polarized, there’s something genuinely nice about a logo that’s just two dudes being pals.
Actionable Steps for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive deeper into the history of this specific era of Twins branding, here is how you should actually spend your time and money:
- Visit the Target Field Archives: If you can get a stadium tour, ask to see the displays on the suite levels. They have original sketches and early iterations of the Minnie and Paul mark that never made it to the field.
- Verify Your Vintage: When buying "old" gear on eBay or Grailed, check the "RN" number on the tags. If the logo looks too perfect or the fabric is too thin, it’s a 90s reproduction, not a 60s original.
- Support Local Artists: Plenty of Twin Cities illustrators do "bootleg" versions of the handshake logo that celebrate specific neighborhoods. It’s a great way to keep the spirit of Ray Barton’s work alive while supporting the current creative scene.
- Watch the 1965 World Series Film: You can find colorized footage on YouTube. Watch how the logo looked on the original wool jerseys. The way the light hits the embroidery is totally different from the flat heat-pressed logos of today.
The Minnesota Twins old logo isn't going anywhere. It survived the move from the Met to the Dome, and it’s thriving now at Target Field. It’s more than just branding; it’s a geographical contract written in thread and ink. As long as there’s a river running between Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnie and Paul will be there, shaking hands and waiting for the next home run to clear the fence.