Thoughts on "mascot characters?" Show me yours!

60Six 2016-01-01 20:35:38 UTC #1

So... A lot of comics and shows (animes especially) have 'em: The mascot character. The characters that don't really seem to serve much purpose other than being cute comic relief. Something to add a little cute and funny fluff to a story.
A lot of times these characters aren't my favorite. But when they're actually useful to the story, they can be one of my favorite things.
The character that sort of ended up as the "mascot" character for my comic, City of Blank, is without a doubt Shnee:

I almost regret making him so cute and cuddly because I swear half the comments I get on my pages are just about him (Which is a good problem to have, I'm not complaining!)!
But one thing I really set out to do when I made Shnee a part of this story is to make him more than a cute face for the comic. He's actually useful and is basically an unofficial service dog for the main character, who has to hide that he can touch these ghostly creatures walk through anyone else in the world.

(His attempt to warn the main character one has entered the room, from the old version of my comic).

He's been trained to sniff them out so he can smell when one is coming in time to warn the main character. In addition to this, he's useful for tracking the blanks down too once they've stolen a face (Something these creatures do in my story):

At the end of the day though, he's still a cute face for the comic that I've found a lot of my readers love.

So what about your mascot characters? Maybe not even necessarily mascot characters, but the cute and funny character from your comic (No matter how you might define cute or funny). Are they a pet, a kid, or just funny adult character?
And what do you think of mascot characters in general? Are they annoying if they don't serve a purpose? Or is the useless fluff harmless to a story?
Post your own characters! If they're actually useful and serve a purpose, tell me how! But most of all I just wanna see some cute or funny chracters!

agentfink 2016-01-01 20:41:45 UTC #2

Oh yeah, The Pale has one... Can't go wrong with a dog!
Here's Agent Finks dog, Panda (hasn't been introduced yet... next issue!)
*He creates a talking point for Fink, but the deeper meaning is symbolic-- Black and White Dog, ying/yang. Dogs tend to mirror their owners-- Panda and Fink are both out of place in Rocket Ridge.

Panda isn't the only Black and White animal in Fink's life-- but that's another post!

early concept art

AnnaLandin 2016-01-01 20:44:42 UTC #3

I don't really have one in Grassblades, but I suppose Akane fits the role, a little. She DOES have an impact on the story, and she is one of the main characters, but she is definitely the cute one of the pair! She tags along, and she does get up to things, but her main purpose is to remind Masahiro that he's more than just a bundle of grumpiness and anger.

.... She's working on it, okay?

zetina 2016-01-01 20:45:23 UTC #4

I find that when it's artificial, it's pretty lame. Like the basketball manga Kuroko introduced a dog in the middle to serve as mascot. Was nice for one filler chapter. Then it was... Just There lol. It's even worse cuz it doesn't even serve the comic relief role - the series is plenty light as is.
And then on the other end of the spectrum, we have Chopper from One Piece. Tho, again, the series is plenty light, but that is also an excellent mascot who is actually integral to the cast.
I'm actually kinda having trouble thinking of them rn....

My stories have never ever had anything like a mascot. So I'm sad I can't rly participate \D;;

heterodont 2016-01-01 21:25:33 UTC #5

Tbh I'm not a huge fan of mascot characters especially if theyre only there to be comic relief. I like it when characters have a role in a story! So I can't help but be bothered by characters who's sole purpose in a story is just to be funny (which most of the time is more obnoxious than funny) If theyre cute I can somewhat excuse it, but most of the time I prefer my characters to have some kind of (good) purpose in a story.

I don't really have a mascot character who's purpose is just to be cute/funny, but I do have a mascot character nonetheless. It's Astaroth, I made him the ''mascot'' because the story kinda revolves around him and also a majority of my audience is enamored by how cute he is so win-win HA.

phen 2016-01-01 21:36:03 UTC #6

Mascot character, that's what it is! I've been wondering what the term for those little eye-treat asides is, awesome. @Riko's mascot is undeniably precious but I love that he's still got his own little personality besides being cute and silly. And Panda from @agentfink... ! He is awesome and complements Fink's character really well. The black and white animal theme's gonna be really fun to learn about. @AnnaLandin, Akane is the more influential mascot, yeah? She's perfect for breaking Masahiro's otherwise sober personality. And look at her... oh geez, just purely precious. And @heterodont, your Astaroth is really cool! Cute and cool! And also important to the story so... yes, that's a bonus.

All of this talk about mascots is really helping me out as I hone in on how to introduce and handle the one I've written into Candour is Going Mad, I cannot WAIT to get to it!! Thanks heaps, yo!

Kura 2016-01-01 21:50:17 UTC #7

I'm not against mascot characters, but I absolutely HATE them when they contribute nothing to the story except for a cheep and easy way to attempt to throw in comic relief instead of properly write it in.

I don't really have any intentional mascot characters, but Bast and Set from No Future seem to have been appointed as so by readers. These two are gods who have a habit of having animal habits when in their animal forms. Though they also contribute to the story as actual important main characters.

Bast in her animal form.

Bast in human form.

Set

shazzbaa 2016-01-01 22:06:11 UTC #8

I agree with the others! I don't necessarily feel like a mascot character needs to Have A Purpose In The Plot, they just need to... belong, and not feel forced. They need to not feel like a constant interruption, whether they have plot importance, or just a relationship with another character that feels real. GIR isn't an effective character just because he's cute and random; he's an effective character because of how he plays off of Zim.

My mascot character was created kind of by accident. I invented the necropony to carry Jonan's stuff, but he's got a bit of a personality and loves Jonan very much, and that's all it took! xD

PotooGryphon 2016-01-01 23:01:23 UTC #9

Plague, the gryphons, and Stumpy the Forest Guardian get the most comments in my series mainly because they have comic relief moments. The comic relief characters are important to a dramatic story, they are our breath of fresh air when things get too heavy. They offer a story balance, when done right, and I think that's why readers can tend to love them and comment on them more than main characters.

(Forest Guardian scene)

(Plague and Ares scene)

However, I don't really consider these guys as "mascot characters". They're just characters. My true mascot character is the avatar I made to represent both Jeramy and my personas; the Potoo Gryphon.

Potoo gryphon isn't in our comic, at all, but it represents us in non-canon extra sketches and event strips.

Comic relief characters can be INCREDIBLY annoying if not handled right. Just look at B.E.N from Treasure Planet

:cringe:___________Or... JarJar... :cringe cringe:

Characters in a comic need to be more than just fan service or fun. It's important that they too show a range of emotions and personality than just a one note setting.

When first writing Plague, I was worried that he'd fall into the trap of an annoying talking animal sidekick trope. I STILL worry about that, however, thankfully no one has labeled him as that yet and for a lot of people (surprisingly) he's their favorite character in Oops.

If they are meant to be just fluff and not serve a purpose, than I think it's important that those characters end up as just fixtures in the background and not play big part in the story.

kambreapratt 2016-01-02 00:25:26 UTC #10

We have Winston in Shadowbinders. Actually, he was the very first character my husband ever did for his version of Shadowbinders (from 1999)

I think he would definitely be considered our "mascot" character. He's actually our header on the main comic site.

I don't see a problem with mascot type characters. You see them all the time. In anime, Star Wars, Avatar, Gravity Falls, etc. I do think they usually serve some kind of purpose. Whether that is something for merch, a character that the audience can emotionally attach to, comic relief, etc. I think even when they are "fluff" they have a purpose.

In the case of our character, Winston, he is the wise-ass, comic relief. We do use him (like a lot of people do) as a way to offset intense scenes or inject humor. I think my husband created him so he could say whatever he wanted and get away with it because "that is what Winston would say." BUT, Winston, has actually been designed to be much more as the story progresses. So he is technically our "mascot" character (we have the merch to prove it) and he is "funny" and "swarmy" but he is going to be more than that. He is very popular.

I guess it is up to what you want in your story. If you want a mascot character go for it. It is up to you the creator about how you want to use that character. There are all kinds of great ways to utilize a "mascot."

60Six 2016-01-04 04:05:21 UTC #11

Sorry for the really late response to this thread! I'm digging everyone's "mascot" characters!

@agentfink 'm absolutely in LOVE with Panda! But I sorta have a weak spot for dogs ahah. But he's especially adorable and seems like the perfect sidekick for Fink. I need literally 100 plushies of Panda.

@AnnaLandin Fun fact! When I was typing up this thread I originally just specified animals, but then I remembered your comic and back spaced to include kids. Akane is the perfect example of a useful mascot character in my opinion, though maybe a bit more important to the story than the average mascot character. But who ever said one of the main characters can't be a mascot?

@heterodont, @CyndiFoster First off, thank you Cyndi for bringing up B.E.N from Treasure Planet... He's a prime example of....what I meant when I said they could be annoying and useless ahah... I feel pretty much the same in regards to the useless ones. Another huge peeve is having a...reliance on them... Looking at you Despicable Me, Ice Age and Madagascar. I get your cute and funny mascot characters being your most marketable thing (Heck, when I start selling merchandise, I'm sure Shnee is what I'll sell the most of), but when it's the thing your series is the MOST recognized for... I think there's a problem. Take Olaf as a (Horrifying) example. I can't believe I'm using him as an example and I know he did get marketed to death, but at least we see merchandise of the other characters in Frozen. That movie is still gliding on more than just Olaf. It at least still has some memorable (whether you liked them or not) songs and other characters (Once again, whether you liked them or not). Mean while...what do we really see of Despicable Me other than Minions? I'm sure they're out there, but I've never seen a single Gru toy. And when it comes to Ice Age, they haven't even shown more than 10 seconds of the main characters in the trailers for their newest movie. All we have is Scrat, because let's be honest, Scrat is what that franchise relies on.

PotooGryphon 2016-01-04 04:16:34 UTC #12

:cringe!: I can't stand Olaf or the weird dog/deer guy. :rolls eyes: haha

I see them as one trick pony really. They were fun, in the first movie, they stole the whole movie but they weren't horribly annoying, to me, in the first movie because they had emotional range. They cared about the girls and Gru. They're getting played to death now. The one trick pony is dead and the movie company is still beating that dead horse (to use that old saying). lol No one cares about Gru anymore. They got rid of him completely and just gave the Minions their own movie lol Stuff like the Minion movie and the Scrat shorts and Olaf are probably meant for kids and die hard fans. I'm probably not in their target audience ^_^

60Six 2016-01-04 04:17:02 UTC #13

@phenylketonurics Thank you so much! My mission is definitely accomplished in regards to Shnee!

@kurapikasuki Those are some of the best kinds of mascot characters in my opinion! The ones that appear to be something cute but turn out to be something bad ass and awesome in actuality. I especially like it when cats turn into something besides a big breasted girl with cat ears and a tail. : D So needless to say, I dig Bast, even if she technically does have cat ears and a tail lol

@shazzbaa That's another good point to bring up. "Forced" mascots. Gir is a great example of a mascot fitting in and working great with the other main characters, as is Cosmo in his interactions with Timmy and Wanda in Fairly OddParents. On the flip side though, Poof of whatever their...kid...thing was named is a prime example of a mascot being forced... For one, that series already had a great mascot character (Cosmo). I get really iffy over series and movies having more than one mascot character and Poof's pretty much why. The balance just feels off, you know?

@kambreapratt There are great ways to utilize mascot characters, just make sure it doesn't get abused! Looking at Minions and Olaf here lol. Like I stated in another response, I think nothing but pure fluff and comedy mascots caaaan be okay, until they're all your series is known for.

60Six 2016-01-04 04:25:27 UTC #14

That's true! But I guess that's why I find myself hating Minions more than Olaf. I realize they're all marketed towards kids, but the mascots are where I think Frozen becomes the lesser of evils. At least kids liked more than just Olaf, enough that every practically every little girl in the world wanted to be Anna or Elsa. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying these are fantastic characters, but at least Frozen had something other than just Olaf that stuck with children. Mean while Despicable Me...just had Minions. No little girls wanted to be Agnes or whatever the other sisters' names were (I can't even remember their names, I guess that says something about how much of an impact they made ahaha), no kids were dying for Gru t-shirts, kids just wanted Minions.

AnnaLandin 2016-01-04 06:51:28 UTC #15

Oh man,. B.E.N! I love Treasure Planet to a ridiculous degree, because the Treasure Island-novel is one of my absolute favourites, but I have to say that B.E.N is really kind of grating. He's lucky the rest of the movie is as charming as it is! Benjamin "Ben" Gunn - the character B.E.N is based on - is a LOT less annoying in the book. And, you know, actually useful.

I do like Amelia, though. Perfect adaption of Alexander Smollett (whom I may or may not have a gigantic literary crush on >.<).

60Six 2016-01-04 07:04:23 UTC #16

It'd be cool to see another adaptation of Treasure Island, whether live action or animated, that is actually the same theme, setting and characters of the book. Not that Treasure Planet wasn't awesome, but it's been long enough that they could probably get away with doing another one again. And as someone who hasn't read the book, I'd definitely love to see something closer to the original! Though I doubt it will happen since there is already an animated film and every studio is probably too afraid to make a live-action pirate movie as they know they'll never live up to Pirates of the Caribbean.

AnnaLandin 2016-01-04 07:22:00 UTC #17

Yeah, me too! I mean, IMDB tells me there is a 2012 version, but I don't know what it's like.

I recommend reading the book, btw! It's fairly short, since it's written with younger readers in mind, so it's a pretty fast read.

shazzbaa 2016-01-04 16:13:34 UTC #18

I feel like I'd draw a distinction between the Minions problem and the B.E.N. problem. B.E.N. is a problem with the story and the character himself. Minions are solely a problem with marketing, imo? Like, in the movie they stole the show, but they're 100% exactly what they're meant to be in that movie, and they do it well. The minions are good mascot characters who then got pushed so far as to become obnoxious outside of the movie.

I have 8 My Little Pony plushies, but I don't want a Grunkle Stan plushie. I don't think that's a failing on the part of Gravity Falls as compared to MLP; that's simply a matter of some characters lending themselves to merch better than others. (As an aside, I'm very behind on episodes but Waddles from GF seems a good example of a background Animal Mascot who doesn't contribute to the plot, other than his importance to Mabel, but also doesn't become obnoxious)

I mean, heck, GIR has the same problem the Minions do. It's hard to find any IZ merchandise without GIR yelling about tacos on it, and GIR's creator has expressed frustration with the way GIR's ~wacky randomness~ is the focus of all marketing. That doesn't make GIR a bad character in the actual story, and it doesn't make IZ a bad cartoon, but it does make me yell about how we don't need any more GIR hoodies the same way I'd yell about how we don't need Minion hats.

So like, the way to avoid making Minions' mistakes is to not make spinoffs of the most popular character in your story and avoid advertising their mugs on every brand of cereal, which, I think shouldn't be too hard for most of us to do. But to avoid making B.E.N., we have to pay attention to the character's role and personality in the actual story.

kambreapratt 2016-01-04 16:47:53 UTC #19

Like I said mascots always serve a purpose, even if it's fluff. Minions and Olaf...they were there for a reason. Do you know how much money they made on those characters? Disney always puts in "mascot" type characters because they know people will make emotional connnections to them and they will buy merchandise. Disney's own logo is a Mascot character that has evolved into much more and is what Disney is known by.

Peanuts= Snoopy. He wasn't even in the original comics and he was the fluff comedy and now he is the first thing people think of (not in a negative way)
Popeye= he was a total mascot character and there for comic relief. The original was about Olive Oyl and her brother Castor. Then Popeye came in and the rest is history.

I think the key is to make sure your mascot character is a good one that people will respond to and if that ends up being all your series is remembered by, that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Doubtcent 2016-01-05 21:10:49 UTC #20

It's a me
Somehow, after several different alterations, my personal avatar has become a bit of an icon to my series and ideas. It's a simple design, so anyone can draw it.

Each of my four comics have their own "mascot" of their own you could say. But the main one has to be me since I appear anywhere and everywhere.

0-0 I'm here too. As a snowman. (lower down on the page)
Thanks again @CyndiFoster