MADISON, Wis. -- A Madison man dressed as his business' rubber-suited mascot was attacked this past weekend.

When it comes to promoting his West Side business, Steve Smith makes sure to jump in head first. With a rubberized suit, and a small motor strapped to his waist, he transforms into his alter-ego "Sporty," the mascot of his Madison Sport Clips business.

Smith said people gravitate to Sporty, who waves to passerby along the busy street.

"It's just guerilla marketing. It's drawing attention to ourselves," said Smith. "You see all these cars, they're going to stop. They see us, they wave. Their kids love to take their pictures with us."

But this past weekend, Sporty drew the wrong kind of attention. Smith said two men attacked him from behind.

"I felt somebody jump on me," said Smith. "At first, I thought it was one of my stylists, but they know better because you never touch Sporty. He could tip over real easily."

Smith said two attackers jumped on him and pushed him to the ground.

"We fell over to the curb, and then into the street," said Smith. "While they were on top of me jumping on me and punching me, I started yelling at them to get off. I was calling the police."

Smith said his real concern throughout the whole incident was about his 12-year-old daughter, who was standing just a few feet away.

"She was crying. She was scared. She sees dad getting attacked. She didn't know what was going on," said Smith.

The two young men eventually ran away, Smith said, but not with Sporty's enthusiasm for promotion. He said the whole altercation was little more than a prank.

"A little bit of a prank is not going to stop us because everybody loves us," said Smith. "Kids love us. The guys love us. They keep on coming in. We'll be out here every day."

Smith said he wasn't hurt in the incident and he's not too concerned about safety in the area. Other nearby businesses that also advertise along the street said that they haven't had any other problems, WISC-TV reported.

Madison police said they're investigating and looking for more information on the two attackers.