So I have a question for you to ponder, and it’s one that I have pondered and discussed…
Is the Easter Bunny a mascot?
Welcome to Michelle’s Mascot Musings for today! Ha!
Sincerely, I have had this discussion with others about what is and isn’t a mascot. How is that defined. Who decides?
Miriam Webster defines mascot as: A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity
So with that in mind…
Let’s take the Easter Bunny for example. And yes, this is a photo just taken. My neighborhood did a Spring Fling event with an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids and the Easter Bunny showed up for a visit too. While I was too old to participate in the Easter Egg Hunt (and every year I say I am going to put on an adult one for my friends – I really need to do that!) I was not too old to get my photo taken with the Easter Bunny.
So mascot? It’s a cute creature in a furry suit. Does that qualify? E. Bunny is a representative, a mascot if you will, for Easter. Does that pass the test?
Let’s take another holiday… Christmas and Santa Claus. Now Santa is in a suit but is still human. Does that make him NOT a mascot? But he does represent a group with a common identity… so?
What about the polar opposite of Santa for the Winter Holidays – Krampus? He’s a creature (don’t think you would call him cute) in a furry suit… is that the standard? Does he represent the holiday, well, in some ways he does… so is he a mascot? I think it’s safe to say he brings luck of the bad variety but the definition didn’t say the luck had to be good!
Taking this in a different direction, are characters at a place such as Disney… are they mascots? We can all agree they are definitely cute furry creatures in a costume and they are representatives of their group – Disney! And then, are they all mascots? Or does only Mickey count?
As you can tell, I love to snap photos will all of these fun creatures because they bring me joy. Quite frankly, it doesn’t matter to me if they are considered mascots by everyone or not. To me, they are because they bring me joy and make me smile. (Yes, even Krampus!)
So you can expect to see mascots of a wide variety showcased here and I look forward to seeing YOUR mascot photos with you and whatever you deem to be a mascot!