A Short History of the Mascot
A mascot is a good luck charm, a symbol representing an individual, organization or team. The word comes from the French word for charm. These charms are seen every day at schools and organizations all over the world.
Originally, the charm aspect of the mascot was what defined it. The soldiers in World War I carried mascots, such as buttons, figures, coins and other objects that they believed would keep them safe or give them better luck in combat. Some say that the mascots of early man can be seen in cave drawings of humans donning animal heads or other garb that would depict an animal that was being hunted at the time.
The mascot evolved over time from charms that were to bring good luck to the animals and other representatives used by schools and universities that we see today. This practice started in the 1800s and were usually live animals. The cost of keeping up with live animals became too much and the costumes started showing up.
Mascots also help to advertise and sell products such as breakfast cereals and drink products. Marketing companies have been utilizing them to draw interest in merchandise for many years. Local companies that use them for advertising are often used as goodwill ambassadors at events in their region. It was easier for a person in a costume to whip up the energy of fans at a sports game. The person inside the costume would almost certainly have to have an entertaining personality and the willingness to jump around and act silly.
They are often required to learn and perform certain dances that crowds are used to seeing at games. These artists do not want to let the fans down. Their specific purpose is to bring entertainment and life to the people in the stands. They also bring another source of income for teams, schools and universities in the form of merchandising. Games and local retail stores are the best places to make money off of the products representing the team. Stuffed animals, keychains, hats and t-shirts among other products are often offered featuring the mascot of local and nationwide teams and schools.
These entertainers hold power over crowds of all ages. They can repel or attract attention. Any good team wants to make sure they have an entertainer that can draw the crowd in and get them to cheer for them. Teams often have interchangeable mascots and nicknames but the two do not have to be related, such as the Cleveland Browns who use four different breeds of dogs to represent their team, namely TD, Chomps, Trapper and CD.
Some of the most famous custom mascots of all time are Tony the Tiger, the Kool-aid Man and the Dig em frog. These are all examples of representatives that help to sell products. There are many cartoons and commercials based on these mascots that people can remember going back to the beginning of television.
Some famous sports team mascots are the Arizona cardinal, Rowdy of the Dallas Cowboys and Sir Purr for the Carolina Panthers. These excited, energetic people dressed in hot, stuffy costumes get the crowds going at every game, cheering for their team and interacting with the fans.
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Category: Recreation
Keywords: mascots, sports, high schools, hobbies, leisure, recreation, symbols, team spirit, costumes