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Amascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bringluck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as aschool, sportsteam,society,military unit, orbrand name. Mascots are also used as fictional, representative spokespeople for consumer products.
In sports, mascots are also used for merchandising. Team mascots are often related to their respective teamnicknames.[1] This is especially true when the team's nickname is something that is a living animal and/or can bemade to have humanlike characteristics. For more abstract nicknames, the team may opt to have an unrelated character serve as the mascot. For example, theathletic teams of theUniversity of Alabama are nicknamed theCrimson Tide, while their mascot is an elephant namedBig Al. Team mascots may take the form of alogo, person, live animal, inanimate object, or acostumed character, and often appear at team matches and other related events. Since the mid-20th century, costumed characters have provided teams with an opportunity to choose a fantasy creature as their mascot, as is the case with thePhiladelphia Phillies' mascot:Phillie Phanatic, thePhiladelphia Flyers' mascot:Gritty, theSeattle Kraken mascot:Buoy, and theWashington Commanders' mascot:Major Tuddy.
Costumed mascots are commonplace, and are regularly used asgoodwillambassadors in thecommunity for their team,company, ororganization.
It was sports organizations that initially first thought of using animals as a form of mascot to bring entertainment and excitement for their spectators.[2] Before mascots were fictional icons or people in suits, animals were mostly used in order to bring a somewhat different feel to the game and to strike fear in rival teams.
As time went on, mascots evolved from predatory animals to two-dimensional fantasy mascots, and then to what is commonplace today: three-dimensional mascots. Stylistic changes in Americanpuppetry in the mid-20th century, including the work ofJim Henson andSid and Marty Krofft, soon were adapted to sports mascots. It allowed people to not only have visual enjoyment but also interact physically with the mascots.
Marketers quickly realized the great potential in three-dimensional mascots and took on board the costumed puppet idea. This change encouraged other companies to start creating their own mascots, resulting in mascots being a necessity amongst not only the sporting industry but for other organisations.[3][4]
The word 'mascot' originates from the French term 'mascotte' which meanslucky charm. This was used to describe anything that brought luck to a household. The word was first recorded in 1867 and popularised by a French composerEdmond Audran who wrote the operaLa mascotte, performed in December 1880. The word entered the English language in 1881 with the meaning of a specific living entity associated with a human organization as a symbol or live logo. However, before this, the terms were familiar to the people of France as a slang word used by gamblers. The term is a derivative of the word 'masco' meaning sorceress or witch. Before the 19th century, the word 'mascot' was associated with inanimate objects that would be commonly seen such as a lock of hair or afigurehead on a sailing ship. From then to the twentieth century, the term has been used in reference to any good luck animals, objects etc., and more recently including human caricatures and fictional creatures created as logos forsports teams.[3][5]
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Often, the choice of the mascot reflects the desired quality; a typical example of this is the "fighting spirit," in which a competitive nature ispersonified by warriors orpredatory animals.
Mascots may also symbolize a local or regional trait, such as theNebraska Cornhuskers' mascot,Herbie Husker: a stylized version of a farmer, owing to the agricultural traditions of the area in which the university is located. Similarly,Pittsburg State University uses Gus the Gorilla as its mascot, "gorilla" being an old colloquial term for coal miners in the Southeast Kansas area in which the university was established.[6]
In the United States,controversy[7] surrounds some mascot choices, especially those using human likenesses. Mascots based onNative American tribes are particularlycontentious, as many argue that they constitute offensive exploitations of an oppressed culture.[8] However, several Indian tribes have come out in support of keeping the names. For example, the Utah Utes and the Central Michigan Chippewas are sanctioned by local tribes, and theFlorida State Seminoles are supported by theSeminole Tribe of Florida in their use of Osceola and Renegade as symbols. FSU chooses not to refer to them as mascots because of the offensive connotation.[9] This has not, however, prevented fans from engaging in "Redface"—dressing up in stereotypical, Plains Indian outfits during games, or creating offensive banners saying "Scalp 'em" as was seen at the 2014 Rose Bowl.[10]
Some sports teams have "unofficial" mascots: individual supporters or fans that have become identified with the team. TheNew York Yankees have such an individual in fanFreddy Sez. FormerToronto Blue Jays mascotBJ Birdie was a costumed character created by a Blue Jays fan, ultimately hired by the team to perform at their home games. USC Trojans mascot is Tommy Trojan who rides on his horse (and the official mascot of the school) Traveler.
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Many sports teams in the United States have official mascots, sometimes enacted by costumed humans or even live animals. One of the earliest was ataxidermy mount for theChicago Cubs, in 1908, and later a live animal used in 1916 by the same team. They abandoned the concept shortly thereafter and remained without an official "cub" until 2014, when they introduceda version that was a person wearing a costume.[11]
In theUnited Kingdom, some teams have young fans become "mascots". These representatives sometimes have medical issues, and the appearance is a wish grant,[12] the winner of a contest,[13] or under other circumstances. Mascots also include older people such asMr England, who are invited by national sports associations to be mascots for the representative teams.[14] One of the earliest wasKen Baily, whoseJohn Bull-inspired appearance was a regular at England matches from 1963[15] to 1990.[16]
On October 28, 1989,University of Miami mascotSebastian the Ibis was tackled by a group of police officers for attempting to put outChief Osceola's flaming spear prior toMiami's game againstlong-standing rivalFlorida State atDoak Campbell Stadium inTallahassee. Sebastian was wearing a fireman’s helmet and yellow raincoat and holding a fire extinguisher. When a police officer attempted to grab the fire extinguisher, the officer was sprayed in the chest. Sebastian was handcuffed by four officers but ultimately released.
University of Miami quarterbackGino Torretta toldESPN, "Even if we weren't bad boys, it added to the mystique that, 'Man, look, even their mascot's getting arrested.'"[17]
As of 2024,five high schools in the United States usemidgets for their mascots. Advocates working with Little People of America have been campaigning to change it because of its common usage as apejorative slur against disabled people.[18]
Mascots or advertising characters are very common in the corporate world. Recognizable mascots includeChester Cheetah,Sonic the Hedgehog,Ronald McDonald,Colonel Sanders,Bibendum,Pac-Man,Bugs Bunny,Godzilla,Kool-Aid Man,Kermit the Frog,MGM's Leo the Lion,Mr. Clean,Chuck E. Cheese,Elsie the Cow,Cap'n Crunch, theCoca-Cola polar bears, Keebler Elf, the Fruit of the Loom Guys,Mario,Mickey Mouse, Pizza Pizza Guy for Little Caesars, Rocky the Elf,Pepsiman, and theNBC Peacock. These characters are typically known without even having to refer to the company or brand. This is an example ofcorporate branding, andsoft selling a company. Mascots are able to act asbrand ambassadors where advertising is not allowed. For example, many corporate mascots can attend non-profit events, or sports and promote their brand while entertaining the crowd. Some mascots are simply cartoons or virtual mascots, others are characters in commercials, and others are actually created as costumes and will appear in person in front of the public at tradeshows or events.[19]
American high schools, colleges, and even middle and elementary schools typically have mascots. Many college and university mascots started out as live animals, such as bulldogs and bears that attended sporting events. Today, mascots are usually represented by animated characters, campus sculptures, and costumed students who attend sporting events, alumni gatherings, and other campus events.
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The mascots that are used for the Summer and Winter Olympic games are fictional characters, typically a human figure or an animal native to the country to which is holding that year's Olympic Games. The mascots are used to entice an audience and bring joy and excitement to the Olympics festivities. Likewise, manyWorld expositions since 1984 have had mascots representing their host city in some way, starting with the1984 Louisiana World Exposition's mascotSeymore D. Fair.
Since 1968, nearly all of the cities that have hosted the Summer or Winter Olympic Games have designed and promoted a mascot that relates to the culture of the host country the overall "brand" of that year's Games. Recent Winter/Summer Olympic games mascots includeMiga, Quatchi, Mukmuk (Vancouver, 2010),Wenlock and Mandeville (London, 2012),Bely Mishka, Snow Leopard, Zaika (Sochi, 2014) andVinicius and Tom (Rio, 2016) have all gone on to become iconic symbols in their respective countries.[20][non-primary source needed] Since 2010, it has been common for the Olympic and Paralympic games to each have their own mascots, which are presented together. For example, the2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo is represented byMiraitowa, while the2020 Summer Paralympics are represented bySomeity, and the two often appear together in promotional materials.
InJapan, many municipalities have mascots, which are known asYuru-chara (Japanese: ゆるキャラHepburn: yuru kyara). Yuru-chara is also used to refer to mascots created by businesses to promote their products.[21]
Camilla Corona SDO is the mission mascot forNASA'sSolar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and assists the mission with Education and Public Outreach (EPO).[22]
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Mascots are also popular inmilitary units. For example, theUnited States Marine Corps uses theEnglish Bulldog as its mascot, while theUnited States Army uses themule, theUnited States Navy uses thegoat, and the United States Air Force uses theGyrfalcon.
The goat in theRoyal Welsh is officially not a mascot but a ranking soldier. Lance CorporalWilliam Windsor retired on 20 May 2009, and his replacement "William Windsor II" was captured and formally recruited on June 15 that same year.[23][24] Several regiments of theBritish Army have a live animal mascot which appear onparades. TheParachute Regiment and theArgyll and Sutherland Highlanders have aShetland pony as their mascot, aram for The Mercian Regiment; anIrish Wolfhound for theIrish Guards and theRoyal Irish Regiment; adrum horse for the Queen's Royal Hussars and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards; anantelope for theRoyal Regiment of Fusiliers; and agoat for theRoyal Welsh. Other British military mascots include a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and a pair offerrets.
The NorwegianRoyal Guard adopted aking penguin namedNils Olav as its mascot on the occasion of a visit to Edinburgh by its regimental band. The (very large) penguin remains resident atEdinburgh Zoo and has been formally promoted by one rank on the occasion of each subsequent visit to Britain by the band or other detachments of the Guard. Regimental Sergeant Major Olav was awarded the Norwegian Army's Long Service and Good Conduct medal at a ceremony in 2005.
TheU.S. Forest Service uses mascotSmokey Bear to raise awareness and educate the public about the dangers of unplanned human-causedwildfires.
Some television series have mascots, like theCleatus the Robot animated cartoon figure on the U.S. sports television showFox NFL Sunday.
Another example of a cartoon mascot on television is the Sir Seven knight character on Wisconsin'sWSAW-TV.
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Some bands, particularly in theheavy metal genre, use band mascots to promote their music. The mascots are usually found on album covers or merchandise such as band T-shirts, but can also make appearances in live shows or music videos. One example of a band mascot isEddie of theEnglish heavy metal bandIron Maiden. Eddie is azombie-like creature which is personified in different forms on all of the band's albums, most of its singles and some of its promotional merchandise. Eddie is also known to make live appearances, especially during the song "Iron Maiden".
Another notable example of a mascot in music is Skeleton Sam ofThe Grateful Dead. South Korean hip hop bandB.A.P uses rabbits named Matoki as their mascot, each bunny a different color representing each member. Although rabbits have an innocent image, BAP gives off a tough image. Hip hop artistKanye West used to use a teddy bear named Dropout Bear as his mascot;Dropout Bear has appeared on the cover of West's first three studio albums, and served as the main character of West's music video, "Good Morning".
The question of whether a "hype-man" can legitimately be considered a hip-hop organization's mascot is currently an active subject of debate within academic Hip-Hop circles. However, local polling in relevant regions suggests acceptance of the "hype-man" as a legitimate organizational mascot.
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