All articles tagged with #mascots
Meta introduced Jolly, a cheerful mascot for its Muse AI assistant, at Meta Connect on Sept. 23. The character serves as the default avatar for the Muse Charm, a handheld device designed to make AI interaction feel more like a personal companion. By adopting a friendly face, Meta hopes to reduce user anxiety about handing over personal tasks to an AI, following a trend seen with other tech brands.
PepsiCo’s Monster Munch rebrand leans into its four-decade cast of monsters, reviving a simple, nostalgic look with a tweaked logo and updated packaging while keeping the three iconic creatures front and center; the move demonstrates how a strong mascot can endure changing packaging trends without losing its identity, contrasting with other brands that have aggressively redesigned their mascots.
Sony’s Creative Products division is developing original IPs to rival Hello Kitty, with Nemu the Night Owl Bear—designed by Tsumupapa and gaining traction on Instagram—emerging as a potential flagship mascot. The character’s stress-filled, anxious persona resonates globally and Sony plans a future anime, aiming for roughly 10 billion yen in IP sales by 2030.
Cosmo the Cougar from BYU was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in the 2026 class, becoming only the second Utah mascot to join the Hall (Jazz Bear was the first in 2006). The selection, determined by a combination of public votes and executive ballots, honors Cosmo’s gravity-defying acrobatics and viral halftime routines, including a 2017 dance with the Cougarettes that has millions of views. He joins Cocky (South Carolina), Gold Gopher (Minnesota), Miles (Denver Broncos), and Mrs. Met (New York Mets) in the 2026 class, underscoring the Hall’s claim that mascots are global ambassadors of happiness.
The SEC has decided that Bevo, the Texas Longhorns' live mascot, will not attend the SEC championship game against Georgia due to space limitations at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Despite efforts to find alternatives, the narrow sidelines and necessary equipment for the game make it unsafe for Bevo to be present. Meanwhile, Georgia's live mascot, Uga XI, will attend the game. Bevo will remain in Texas, continuing a tradition that began in 1916.
The SEC has decided not to allow Texas' mascot, Bevo, to attend the SEC Championship game against Georgia due to space limitations at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Bevo, a large longhorn steer, requires a significant enclosure, which the stadium cannot accommodate without compromising safety. Georgia's mascot, Uga XI, will attend the game, as it is a short trip from Athens. The decision recalls a 2019 incident where Bevo charged at Uga during a pregame photo op.
Indianapolis International Airport has installed a full-sized basketball court in the main area to celebrate the city hosting NBA All-Star Weekend for the first time in nearly 40 years. The court, featuring mascots from Indiana pro teams and students, has become a unique attraction for travelers and locals alike. The project, spearheaded by airport employees and local businesses, aims to immerse visitors in the Hoosier basketball culture. While shooting on the court is restricted for safety reasons, the initiative has garnered widespread attention and excitement, adding to the buzz surrounding the NBA event.
College football bowl season witnessed bizarre marketing stunts, with a Pop-Tart mascot being eaten by Kansas State players and West Virginia's coach getting a mayo bath, courtesy of the Duke's Mayo Bowl. The Cheez-It mascot also made a cheeky appearance with a "Non-Edible Mascot" sign. These stunts, particularly the Pop-Tart's "sacrifice," generated significant social media buzz and exposure, valued at over $12 million. These antics are seen as a creative solution to boost interest in non-playoff bowl games, which struggle with relevance due to player opt-outs and varying national interest.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell expressed his desire to have a live lion as a team mascot, but the NFL has frowned upon the idea. While Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp was supportive, the league office deemed it too risky. Live animal mascots are more common in college football, but the NFL has allowed live horses and hawks as mascots. The Lions will have to stick with their current mascot, Roary.
Governor Josh Shapiro's administration organized a ceremony to celebrate the reopening of I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia, which was rebuilt in just 12 days after a gas tanker explosion took out the Cottman Avenue overpass. The reopening was commemorated by mascots from all five major league Philadelphia sports teams, union workers, TikTok influencers, and the president of the United States. The temporary roadway that reconnects the collapsed segment is built atop a big wall of foam glass sourced from Delco’s Aero Aggregates. PennDOT will begin to construct the permanent fix: a new overpass, built from the outside working in.
Mississippi State used artificial intelligence to generate bizarre images of its eight opponent mascots for the SEC 2024 conference opponents release. The images quickly went viral on social media, with fans screenshotting them for future meme purposes. Mississippi State's director of creative design and senior director of creative video revealed that they used a beta app for Photoshop and had to be specific in their AI prompts to create the images. The Tennessee orange head and Florida Gator with jorts were fan favorites. Vanderbilt also did an AI schedule graphic in a more artistic way.
Miami Heat's mascot, Burnie, received medical treatment at an emergency room after Conor McGregor punched him twice during a promotional bit at Game 4 of the NBA Finals. However, Burnie is expected to be ready for Game 6 on Thursday if there is one. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised Burnie's toughness and joked that he should have been allowed to take the first swing on McGregor. McGregor has not made any public comment about the incident.
Fans were shown NFL team logos and hilariously mistook them for other things, including Lightning McQueen and Chester Cheeto. Some even confused teams with different sports or mixed up their mascots. Despite the confusion, fans are excited for football season to begin.
A Twitter user asked AI to redesign every NFL mascot, resulting in a mix of adorable creatures and abominations. The Bengals and Raiders mascots were among the best, while the Giants and Patriots were among the worst. The Browns mascot was a mystery, and the Titans and 49ers mascots were hated.
New York state education officials have unanimously voted to ban public schools from using Indigenous team names, logos, or mascots. The use of all Indigenous imagery must be eliminated by the end of the current school year, and the prohibited names, logos, or mascots must be eliminated by the 2024-25 school year. The changes will become effective as a permanent rule on May 3, and non-compliant school officers could be removed or state aid could be withheld. The National Congress of American Indians supports the changes, stating that Native-themed mascots dehumanize Native people and diminish the diversity of their cultures.