How Mascots Around the World Are Similar

Mascots around the world are used for similar events in most countries. Almost all countries utilize mascots for some if not all of their sporting events. Football (American version), basketball, rugby, hockey, and especially soccer widely use mascots for college and professional games. Soccer is one of the most widely popular sports world-wide, so mascots are heavily used in these sporting events. Some teams use the soccer ball itself and dress it up as a personified mascot. Mascots can look very similar to each other and very different in various nations. Animal mascots are some of the most popularly used for sports on an international basis:

- bears
- birds
- whales
- sharks
- crocodiles
- alligators
- tigers
- bulls
- rhinoceroses
- dogs
- wolves
- cats
- frogs

Mascots and the Militaries of Countries

The military in most countries hold their own kind of mascots. Many nations have animal mascots associated with either the enter military, or like the United States one branch of the military. The bulldog is the official mascot of the United States Marine Corps. The current incarnation of the military mascot is "Lance Corporal Molly," who resides at a recruiting depot in San Diego, CA.

Throughout England and Wales there are different animal mascots to represent the various branches.

The Royal Regiment of Wales uses a live, white goat as its mascot. The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment has the ram as its mascot. Its current incarnation is Derby XXVIII, which was given in 2005 to the Duke of Devonshire. It is also known as "Private Derby." The Black Buck Antelope is the mascot of The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers, a branch of the British army.

Ireland has the Irish Wolfhound as its mascot for the Irish Guards. It was presented to them by the Irish Wolfhound Club. The Club was hoping to boost the public's interest in the breed.

How Mascots Around the World are Different

Mascots do differ around the world and can be used for very different types of events. Several countries around the world have festivals and parades that are indigenous to particular areas of the globe. Tropical places like Jamaica, Trinidad, and many West Indies islands have parades and carnivals. They have parades to celebrate tribal people. Sometimes troops of people from many countries including the United States and the UK will dress up in exotic outfits our "tribalwear" and act as mascots for the events. Many of the costumes are very ornate involving a lot of beadwork, face paint, and sometimes bikini or loin cloth style outfits. The outfits come in an array of beautiful colors and contribute to a festive feel for the event. These human mascots can either walk or dance in parades, or visit with people who come to watch the parades. They are very interactive with the crowds and do this as a profession. Many undergo classes that teach them the art of being a mascot. Some are indigenous to their own country, while many troops travel to different carnivals and parades to perform as mascots around the world.

Mascots that are Meaningful to Multiple Countries

It may be hard to believe that there are mascots that are meaningful to multiple countries. Some may have the same mascots, but maybe a different style of the same mascot. An example of this is Ronald McDonald. Many countries such as China and France use him as a mascot for the McDonald's Restaurant. However, the style that is used may be very different that of the United States. France has recently run commercials of both a young woman and a young man dressed up in modern fashion that still resembles the clown's outfit. China recently featured a cartoon version of some of the McDonald's characters in cartoon form using Chinese children in the background.

Also, the Olympics are a time when the whole world shares mascots in like kind. The 2010 Olympics that are to be held in Canada already feature three mascots that will be shared globally: Miga, Quatchi, and Sumi. The characters are patterned after Japanese anime styling.

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