Mascot names L to R: Chick-Fil-A Cow, Spuddy Buddy, Olympic Phryge, The Geico GeckoLet’s talk brand mascot names. Do you have a favorite? Maybe from school or sports, or even from a product or company? If your answer is — yes, of course I have a favorite mascot! — then one burning question remains: Do you know its name?
To my naming delight, there’s a database with hundreds of North American mascot names. It’s maintained by the one and only Mascot Hall of Fame. Its founder is the original Phillie Phanatic, famous mascot of Major League Baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies. (Coincidentally, for more on the Phanatic see this Zinzin blog post.)
But back to the business at hand — the business of mascots in branding. Specifically, let’s take a fun look at names (what else?!) and explore how a mascot can support — and even elevate — a brand.