Every year on June 17, National Mascot Day is marked which looks at the importance of these elements. A mascot is any character or design that represents some identity. It could be a person, object, cartoon character and that signifies the public identity of any organization, society, team or a brand.
Many times these mascots are part of the merchandising of a product. They may carry an identity and sometimes some mascots become so popular that people often forget the name but a mascot has that recall value. So for any company, it is very important to have a mascot.
Although it is not yet clear when the celebrations of National Mascot Day started the celebrations are very recent. In April 2015, there was a presence of #NationalMascotDay online.
On Mascot Day 2019, let us look at top famous brand mascots
- Ronald McDonald, McDonald’s: Ronald McDonald is a clown character which is known for representing the famous American fast food company McDonald’s. from featuring in TV commercials to his statue outside most of the outlets, the smile of Ronald is known to the world. The color yellow and red matching the brand name is also associated with the brand.
- Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney: The famous animated character Mickey has been one of the most significant of mascots ever created. The mascot of the Walt Disney Company was created by Walt Disney himself. The character’s large ears, red shorts, white gloves, and yellow shoes have instant recall to Walt Disney.
- Mario, Nintendo: The Mascot which evolved into a great franchise, it is Mario which is created by Japanese video game designer Nintendo. The character which debuted in 1981 as Jumpman was named Mario in 1982. Mario did not just serve as the protagonist for the company but also today it featured in over 200 video games and the evolution still continues.
- ZooZoo, Vodafone: ZooZoo is the white ballooned animated characters which are created by telephone service provider company Vodafone and it became an instant hit since its arrival. The company plated around with their mascots often but ZooZoo was an adorable introduction that even saw great merchandising. The ads were relatable and added human touch.
- Boomer Man, Boomer Bubblegum: The chewing gum Boomer may not be selling as good as earlier but the mascot of Boomer man is what still stays. It was not less than a superman for the 90s kids. The ads featured him as a rescuer from tough situations. Also, the earlier days of the merchandising saw Boomer man tattoos.
Other mascots like Tony the tiger for Kellogs, Michelin Man for Michelin, Amul girl for Amul products, Colonel Harland David Sanders for KFC, Doughboy for Pillsbury are just as famous
