'Made to be a Mascot': Texans' mascot Toro rolls out his first-ever children's book

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The man behind the mask of the Texans' mascot has released a book that's been years in the making.

Andrew Johnson is in his 10th season performing as Toro. For the last few years, he's been focused on more than games and other appearances.

He's been working on a book called "Made to be a Mascot."

The new book was released recently. Johnson has developed school shows, but he wanted to reach even more kids with his anti-bullying message.

RELATED: Original Toro reveals his identity and reflects on experience behind the mask

If you're a Houston sports fan, you probably have a photo with Toro, but even after spending 14 years with the team, you may never have known who he was until now.

"People make fun of him for being a mascot," Johnson explained. "When he gets made fun of, he thinks, maybe he doesn't want to be the mascot anymore. He has to try and find another role at the stadium. So, he tries to be a groundskeeper. He tries to be an equipment manager. He tries to be a broadcaster like you, Nick. He tries to be a football player - a cheerleader. At the end of the book, none of those jobs really work out, and he realizes he wasn't meant to be any of those things. He was meant to be the mascot."

Right now, the book is available in the team store.

Johnson says it should be available on the team's website by the end of the week.

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