Nowadays, most schools want to have or already have their own mascots because these figures are great visual icons that can expand a school’s recognition and influence on various occasions. However, how do you create a good and valid mascot? It may be helpful to look at the existing successes to find the key points: next, I will show you the 20 best mascot ideas for schools!
Factors to consider when customizing your school mascot
Before you have an ideal school mascot, you should decide on various factors to ensure your mascot is suitable and useful. For example, If you randomly click on a mascot customization online store, such as Chosun Toys, you need to fill out an information sheet and communicate with the designer about the material, size, color, decoration and so many other details.
In fact, what you have to consider is much more than these, next, I will divide the 20 factors that must be considered into 6 categories and show you. They are Relevance, Distinctiveness, Forms of Presentation, Interactivity, Inclusivity, and Business value. Hope you’ll be inspired by them!
20 Best School Mascot Ideas
Relevance
It is of utmost importance that the school mascot is closely related to the school, because the school mascot is the visual symbol of the school, and it exists to remind people of the school’s existence. To go into more detail, the factors of relevance include mascot color, mascot appearance, school history, school features, school location, cultural sensitivity and unity with other school items.
Cityu Tiger-City University of Hong Kong
If your school has its iconic color, then it is best for the mascot to also use the school’s color as one of the key elements of the design. For example, the City University of Hong Kong’s iconic color is pink because the school’s famous flower is the pink Bougainvillea. Therefore its mascot is also a tiger with pink color all over its body. Its bright color can remind people of the school at first glance.
Aardvark-Aims Community College
Some think that it is ridiculous to have such an uncommon appearance. However, Aims Community College believes that aardvarks are adaptable, determined, and resourceful in finding the means to survive in the African desert. Aims students come from an array of life circumstances and have shown adaptability to survive and persevere through challenging situations. Thus, aardvark can express the school spirit perfectly.
Attila-duck-the Stevens Institute of Technology
The history behind the Stevens mascot is actually a long and storied one. The duck’s origins actually tie in quite heavily with The Stute’s (the school newspaper). When the first Stute was published, one poster featured a duckling biting its way through its shell. The duck was forgotten and reintroduced several times until 1972 when it officially became the college’s mascot.
If the mascot is related to the history of the college, then your school and your mascot will have a closer emotional connection, and the mascot will be more likely to be accepted by students and staff as a representation of the school.
Phil the Pill-MUSC College of Pharmacy
It should be the best mascot idea for schools to make the mascot’s characteristics match the school’s features. For instance, a medical-related object would be a good mascot for a medical school. MUSC College of Pharmacy’s mascot is a pill bottle.
YoUDee-the University of Delaware
YoUDee is an anthropomorphic “fighting Blue Hen”, and its species is the blue hen, as the state bird of Delaware. Using an iconic animal from your school’s geographic location is a good way to determine the appearance of your mascot. Especially if your school has the name of the location in its name, a “local” mascot is easier to remember.
The Braves-Bountiful High School
Bountiful High School’s Braves mascot was replaced after controversy over its Native American archetype. Some students said they could rally around that mascot, and in fact became a distraction.As a result, the school felt it was important to replace the mascot with one that will be more culturally sensitive and respectful to all. This example shows us that it’s better to care about cultural sensitivity when designing a mascot, or you risk having your mascot boycotted or even abandoned.
HKUST MBA Mascot- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Mascots often don’t exist in isolation; they unify with the school’s logo, landmarks, and other markers. For example, a mascot for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s MBA school borrows the shape of its hair from the school’s landmark sculpture, Circle of Time.
Distinctiveness
Keep distinctive is one of the best mascot ideas for schools, because your school is also unique. Meanwhile, uniqueness is the key to making people remember a mascot.
The Phoenix-University of Chicago
A unique story or a unique experience your students and the mascots have together can shape the distinctiveness of mascots. Thus, finding a unique mascot story is one of the best mascot ideas for schools. For example, The mascot of the University of Chicago is a phoenix. When the school was nearly bankrupt, people still did not give up on saving the school, it was this spirit of not giving up that attracted investment. To commemorate this rebirth, the school mascot became a phoenix.
Bill the Goat-the United States Naval Academy
It’s a good idea to create a special image for the mascot so that it stands out from the countless eagles, bears, and lions, just like Bill the Goat, the mascot of the United States Naval Academy. The mascot is a live goat and is also represented by a costumed midshipman.
The Demon Deacon-Wake Forest University
If you don’t want to have a repetitive mascot image with other schools, then pursue an original design rather than some objects that already exist! An image like no other can help establish your mascot’s uniqueness! The Demon Deacon gives a good example. Best known for its slightly unorthodox name and appearance, the Demon Deacon has become a mainstay in the world of U.S. college mascots.
Friar Dom-Providence College
Most mascots are cute, exciting and positive. However, sometimes if you want your school to be the most special and attractive, choosing a scary image is the best idea for school mascots. The successful case is the ghastly Friar of Providence College.
Forms of Presentation
Exploring the ways to present your mascot is a good idea to create a perfect mascot.
Flex the Falcon– the Bentley University
The conventional and material image of a stuffed animal is the most common mascot image. Like Bentley’s Flex the Falcon, a touchable mascot that can only appear in reality.
The Sharks-Florida Elementary School
The increasing popularity of online life has given room for virtual mascots to grow. If you’re on a budget, or if you think a virtual image would better represent your school, then you can absolutely go for an immeratial mascot! Just like Florida Elementary School did, their mascot is a virtual shark that you can see all over the school’s website, blog, and social media platforms.
The Griffin-The College of William & Mary
With the development of technology, many schools are no longer satisfied with mascots that can only exist in the online or offline space alone. New technological tools such as AR/VR allow mascots to break the interval between the two spaces and interact with people more positively. The College of William & Mary created a reality face filter for their mascot on Instagram. Students can “conjure up” Griffin on multiple occasions on campus to take pictures and interact with him!
Interactivity
Good interactivity is definitely one of the best mascot ideas for schools. Let’s see how some schools achieve it!
Brutus Buckeye–The Ohio State Buckeyes
A mascot that can interact always makes a greater impression, which is why most school mascots are anthropomorphic figures. The mascot is an anthromorphic buckeye nut which is the official state tree of Ohio. However, a real buckeye nut cannot interact with students, so it is anthropomorphized. As a member of the spirit squad, Brutus Buckeye travels to many events around the university and often makes appearances around Columbus.
Nittany Lion-Penn State University
It’s also important to set a lively personality for your mascot. The Nittany Lion is the head cheerleader, from the basketball court to the football field to the student union to the library, the Lion is highly visible and always game for students’ selfies. An active mascot always enhances interaction over a socially inept mascot.
Inclusivity
Inclusivity is necessary for school mascots, or how can it get a wide range of support from different people on different occasions?
Currio-Faculty of Science, Hong Kong University
The best school mascot ideas must include the inclusivity of mascots. A good mascot should be able to adapt to multiple occasions and have subtle image changes from one occasion to another to avoid aesthetic fatigue. HKU’s mascot was designed with a whole range of images to suit different scenarios such as laboratory, outside, and so on.
General Scott, Raider, & Ranger II-United States Military Academy (Army)
Having more than one mascot is also a good idea for school mascots, this school has three animals to play their mascots so if students don’t like General Scott, they still have Raider and Rnger II.
Business value
A very important function of a mascot is to bring business value to the school, so you must also consider this point when creating a mascot.
Keggy, the Keg-Dartmouth University
If you think about the best mascot ideas for schools, you can never ignore business value. For example, Dartmouth university’s Keggy is printed on a variety of hangings, mugs, purses, and clothing for sale, it is popular and brings in income.
Stanford Tree-Stanford University
Another successful example is the Stanford Tree, a mascot that is not only loved by students but also by tourists who buy it in bulk as a souvenir because of its special shape and unique meaning.
Summary
Creating a perfect mascot for your school is not always easy. Once you make a mistake in one field, the overall effectiveness of the mascot could be affected. Relevance, Distinctiveness, Forms of Presentation, Interactivity, Inclusivity, and Business value are all you should think of, and for each factor, you have more details to consider.
Thus, you have to work hard for your school mascots, or find a helper!
Chusun Toys, as we mentioned before, is a professional customization manufacturer, owning mature technologies and various materials, which enable it to produce high-quality and diverse mascots. Moreover, you can discuss the design draft with their designers and they will help you improve your ideas and make them come true. Contact them may be a good choice for making your school mascots.
Time waits for no man. However you want to create your mascot, let’s get moving!