Mascot
159908
220352258
2008-06-19T13:04:45Z
88.9.214.164
/* External links */
{{otheruses}}
[[Image:Millie mascot.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Millie," costumed character mascot of the [[Brampton Arts Council]]]]
The term '''mascot''' – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring [[luck]]<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mascot mascot - Definitions from Dictionary.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> – 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|brand name]]. Mascots are also used as fictional spokespeople for consumer products, such as the [[Trix Rabbit|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]]<ref>[http://www.halcyon.com/marcs/mascot.html Marc's Collection of Mascots: Introduction<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. While the two can be interchangeable, they are not always the same. For example, the athletic teams of the [[University of Tennessee]] are nicknamed the [[Tennessee Volunteers|Volunteers]], while their mascot is a dog named [[Smokey (mascot)|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==
[[Image:Clutch-Halloween-2005.jpg|thumb|200px|"Clutch the Bear," costumed mascot for the [[NBA]]'s [[Houston Rockets]], with fans.]]
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<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=mascot&searchmode=none Online Etymology Dictionary<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. 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 language|Occitan]] word masco, meaning [[witch]] (perhaps from Portuguese ''mascotto'', meaning ''witchcraft''), and also ''mascoto'', meaning [[Spell (paranormal)|''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==
{{weasel}}
[[Image:Mascot with mobile.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A tired costumed character taking a break. It is traditional to avoid showing the unmasked faces of performers.]]
Often the choice of mascot reflects a desired quality; a common example of this is the "fighting spirit," in which a competitive nature is [[Personification| personified]] by warriors or [[Predation|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]], [[Native American mascot controversy|controversy]]<ref>[http://espn.go.com/dickvitale/vcolumn0508010-confusingmove.html ESPN.com - Dick Vitale - NCAA mascot, nickname ban is confusing<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> surrounds some mascot choices, especially those using human likenesses. Mascots based on [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribes are particularly [[List of sports team names and mascots derived from indigenous peoples|contentious]], as many argue that they constitute offensive exploitations of an oppressed culture<ref>[http://www.njsbf.org/njsbf/student/respect/winter03-1.cfm Native American Mascots: Racial Slur or Cherished Tradition?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
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==
[[Image:RoyalRegimentWalesGoat gobeirne.jpg|200px|thumb|The goat mascot and Goat Major of the [[Royal Regiment of Wales]].]]
{{main|Military mascot}}
Mascots are also popular in [[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 [[parade]]s, including a [[Domestic sheep|ram]] for the 95th [[Derbyshire]] Regiment, an [[Irish Wolfhound]] for the [[Irish Guards]], a [[Shetland pony]] for the [[Argyll]] and [[Sutherland]] [[Scottish Highlands|Highlanders]], and a [[Domestic goat|goat]] for the [[Royal Regiment of Wales]]. Other British military mascots include a pair of [[Gypsy Vanner horse|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.
==See also==
* [[Car mascot]]
* [[Fursuit]]
* [[List of Australian Mascots]]
* [[List of colleges by mascot]]
* [[List of mascots]]
* [[List of national animals]]
* [[List of National Hockey League mascots]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball mascots]]
* [[List of National Football League mascots]]
* [[List of sports team names and mascots derived from indigenous peoples]]
* [[List of U.S. college mascots]]
* [[List of video game mascots]]
* [[Mascot Hall of Fame]]
* [[Mascots of Brazilian football sides]]
* [[National emblem]]
* [[National personification]]
* [[Native American mascot controversy]]
* [[Olympic mascot]]
* [[Totem]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
{{commons|category:mascots|Mascots}}
* [http://www.sports-mascots.co.uk/ List of more than 500 sports mascots]
* [http://www.studentmoneymaker.com/olympic-mascots List of Olympic mascots]
* [http://www.mascot-costumes.net/construction.htm Overview of mascot construction methods]
* [http://chl.be/mascots/ List of Free and Open Source software mascots]
[[Category:Luck]]
[[Category:Mascots|*]]
[[Category:Cheerleading]]
[[ay:Chita]]
[[ca:Mascota]]
[[cs:Maskot]]
[[de:Liste der Maskottchen]]
[[es:Mascota]]
[[fr:Mascotte]]
[[it:Mascotte]]
[[he:דמותג]]
[[nl:Mascotte (symbool)]]
[[ja:マスコット]]
[[no:Maskot]]
[[pt:Mascote]]
[[ru:Маскот]]
[[simple:Mascot]]
[[fi:Maskotti]]
[[sv:Maskot]]
[[th:ตุ๊กตาสัญลักษณ์]]
[[tr:Maskot]]
[[zh-yue:吉祥物]]
[[zh:吉祥物]]