Everything about Mascot totally explained
The term
mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring
luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a
school,
professional sports team, society, military unit, or
brand name. Mascots are also used as fictional spokespeople for consumer products, such as the
rabbit used in
advertising and
marketing for the
General Mills brand of
breakfast cereal,
Trix.
In the world of sports, team mascots are often confused with team
nicknames. While the two can be interchangeable, they're not always the same. For example, the athletic teams of the
University of Tennessee are nicknamed the
Volunteers, while their mascot is a dog named
Smokey. Team mascots may take the form of a logo, person, live animal, inanimate object or a
costumed 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 the
Philadelphia Phillies' mascot, the
Phillie Phanatic.
Costumed mascots are commonplace, and are regularly used as goodwill ambassadors in the community for their team, company, or organization.
Etymology
The word mascot has been traced back to a dialectic use in
Provence and
Gascony, where it was used to describe anything which brought luck to a household. The suggestion that the word is derived from
masqu (meaning
masked or
concealed), the Provincial French for a child born with a
caul, in allusion to the lucky destiny of such children, is improbable.
The word was first popularized in 1880, when French composer
Edmond Audran wrote a popular comic
operetta titled
La Mascotte. However, it had been in use in France long before this, as French
slang among gamblers, derived from the
Occitan word masco, meaning
witch (perhaps from Portuguese
mascotto, meaning
witchcraft), and also
mascoto, meaning
spell.
Audran's operetta was so popular that it was translated into English as
The Mascot, introducing into the English language a word for any animal, person, or object that brings good luck. The word with this definition was then incorporated into many other languages, although often in the French form
mascotte.
Choices and identities
Often the choice of mascot reflects a desired quality; a common example of this is the "fighting spirit," in which a competitive nature is
personified by warriors or
predatory animals. Mascots may also symbolize a local or regional trait, such as the
Nebraska Cornhuskers' mascot,
Herbie Husker: a stylized version of a farmer, owing to the agricultural traditions of the area in which the university is located.
In the
United States,
controversy surrounds some mascot choices, especially those using human likenesses. Mascots based on
Native American tribes are particularly
contentious, as many argue that they constitute offensive exploitations of an oppressed culture.
Some sports teams have "unofficial" mascots: individual supporters or fans that have become identified with the team. The
New York Yankees, for example, have such an individual in fan
Freddy Sez. Former
Toronto Blue Jays mascot
BJ Birdie was a costumed character created by a Blue Jays fan, ultimately hired by the team to perform at their home games.
Military mascots
military units. For example, the
United States Marine Corps uses the
bald eagle as a formal
emblem; the
bulldog is also popularly associated with the U.S. Marines.
Many regiments of the
British Army have a live animal mascot which may appear on
parades, including a
ram for the 95th
Derbyshire Regiment, an
Irish Wolfhound for the
Irish Guards, a
Shetland pony for the
Argyll and
Sutherland Highlanders, and a
goat for the
Royal Regiment of Wales. Other British military mascots include a pair of
drummer horses, an
antelope, and a
ferret.
The Norwegian
Royal Guard adopted a
King Penguin named Nils Olav as its mascot on the occasion of a visit to Edinburgh by its regimental band. The (very large) penguin remains resident at
Edinburgh 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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Mascot'.
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