Recently, I was drinking my morning coffee and perusing my tumblr dash – you know: starting the day in a true summer-vacation fashion, and I came across a short blogpost (x) somebody had made about mascots .
As you can see, the writer was basically saying that Mascots are a mockery of furries.
Tangent: What’s a furry, you ask? Well, Urban Dictionary gives a surprisingly-nuanced definition (which you can read by clicking here, if you’d like) that . . . also happens to be pretty long. So, if you’re feeling lazy, lets just define furries as a group of people who anthropomorphize animals to a bajillion different degrees – some of them assuming animal personas to the extent that they identify themselves as an actual animal.
So, now that we’ve got definitions taken care of . . .
I read some of the comments on the original post, and it ultimately piqued my curiosity about the origin of Mascots. With a whir of my touch-typing fingertips (thank you Mrs. Green, wherever-you-are, it’s the best skill 9th grade gave to me), I started to peruse the massive compendium of knowledge concerning Mascots brought to you by the infallible Saint Wikipedia. (You might not be able to cite it in papers, but it’s a good way to start researching!)
Things I learned:
- the word “mascot” essentially just means “good luck charm”, and owes its English-Language popularization to a French operetta from 1880 that recounted the story of a girl who brought people good luck as long as she remained a virgin
- a surprising number of mascots are mules – I mean, yes, they’re stubborn and hardworking, but who wants to be an ass?
- there are a lot of non-animal mascots (not all that surprising until you realize that many are non-human also)
- while general sports mascots seem to be the largest denomination of mascots, there are also mascots for corporations, bands, and schools
- Princeton University is the first school in recorded history to have a mascot
- Victor is a shockingly common name for mascots
There is a whole list of mascots (probably incomplete, but still) on Wikipedia for your personal perusing pleasure, and (true to human nature) everybody thinks they have the absolute best. There are polls all over the place about which might be the greatest mascot. Personally, I don’t like #1/ “Best” titles, because they oversimplify. THUS, I have decided to provide you with my very own Mascot Awards Ceremony. I’m sure you’re on pins and needles, so I’ll get right into it.
The Friendliest Nut/Most Indomitable Mascot: Brutus Buckeye of The Ohio State University
To take this lighthearted nut at simple face value would be a mistake. Despite his visible cheer, Brutus has had quite a trying history, for an anthropomorphized nut, that is. He’s been kidnapped at least five times since 1965, from what I can gather, and I would daresay he’s come through more hard times than one Buckeye nut ever deserved. Yet, here he is, in 2014, still smiling. Brutus might be a nut, but he is a survivor, and that’s more than many mascots can boast.
The Wildest [Former] Unofficial Mascot to Ever Wield a Pineapple: Vili the Warrior of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa
Now retired, apparently, this die-hard, pineapple-toting warrior was quite fearsome, from what I can tell.
The Best Online Profiled Mascot: The Stormy Petrel of Oglethorpe University (Atlanta, Georgia)
Suffice it to say: In addition to his large, plague-mask-reminiscent beak, Petey the Petrel has a very well developed identity, folks.
The Scariest Vegetable Mascot: The Cobbers of Concordia College (In Moorhead, Minnesota)
Seriously. Look at that face.
I never knew corn could be that intimidating, and I grew up surrounded by fields of the stuff. All I have to say is: These fans are missing a golden opportunity if they don’t make extensive wordplay involving the word “clobber”.
Also, as a side note, this leads to some interesting fan-base attire.
I wonder if any of their opponents have come up with some kind of corn-popper analogy yet.
The Smartest/ “Most Esoteric” Mascot: The Eutectic of the Saint Louis College of Pharmacy.
What on God’s green earth is a Eutectic, you ask? It’s the scientific process where two solids combine to form a liquid. (Yes, of course I looked it up. What non-chemist would know that kind of thing???) The best part about this nerdy team symbol is how seriously it is stil taken as a mascot, though.
The Least Intimidating Mascot: The Banana Slugs of the University of California-Santa Cruz
Surprisingly famous, even making number 1 on ESPN’s 2008 top ten mascot names in College Basketball, this mascot doesn’t exactly strike fear into my heart at first glance. One snarky judge from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals of CA, even referenced them in an opinion discourse.
The Most Obscene, Yet Also Possibly The Most Unique Mascot: Scrotie the “friendly phallus” of The Rhode Island School of Design
This is exactly what you think it is. If you are at all interested in an AMAZING article about Scrotie, please click this link, because the author’s lovely clear explanation of their mascot is matched in excellence only by the amount of penis-themed, chortle-inducing wordplay they use. In an article he wrote for the Providence Phoenix, David Scharfenberg calls the RISD sports crew
“a co-ed assemblage that has been turning the dick joke into high art — OK, low art — for 50 years now.”
It’s also worth noting that the ice hockey team of the RISD are called the “Nads” . . . Fans apparently cheer them on with loud cries of “Go Nads!”. No joke. And don’t get me started on the RISD Pricks (a fencing club) and the RISD Seamen (a sailing club).
The Cutest Mascot: Artie the Fighting Artichoke of Scottsdale Community College
Now, while they have attempted to render this many-layered vegetable-substitute-for-chips more intimidating with design, the plain truth of it is: Artie is adorable.
Honorable Mentions Due to their Pun-tastic Names:
Webst-UR the University of Richmond’s Spider
Whoo RU the Owl Mascot of Rowan University Athletics
Cakey Hankerson: Great Adventures 