Saturday, February 16, 2013

mascots on my mind

I didn’t start my day with mascots on my mind. Who does? A mascot I guess.

Life has surprises. If you spend much time on the internet you find even more surprises. The internet is many things. It often acts like a surprise amplifier for me.

It started with the mention of a youtube video. I included that clip at the end of this post. I found the clip without much problem. As is often the case, there were a few versions of this mascot related clip.

Then I started thinking of another mascot from my past. I’m proud to tell anyone that I graduated from the University of Illinois. We had a very appropriate mascot, Chief Illiniwek when I attended. Since then a controversy started about the use of a Native American mascot and eventually the mascot was dropped. The French explorers named Illinois after the indigenous Illiniwek people, a consortium of Algonquian tribes. Of course you can discover much more regarding this on the internet.



My mascot searching lead me find a famous mascot, the San Diego Chicken aka the Famous Chicken. This chicken guy has a very interesting story and a good web site where you can learn more than you would ever want to about a chicken mascot. (if you are wondering I was NOT compensated by this chicken)

The chicken mascot story involves lawsuits, a radio station, $2 per hour job, fowl trying to spoil a foul shot, and lots of fans. You can read more here.




Here’s the clip that started my mascot research. The lesson I picked up on this one is not to use a condor as a mascot.



another circus 

11 comments:

CaliforniaGirl500 said...

Oh, you're gonna love my comment.


I worked for competing radio stations during the Chicken's heyday. He was a good friend of one of my best friends, the Rose Man. Rose Man and I used to go to alotta Padres games & the Chicken was his bud. If I had field level seats, which I'd usually get from my station, and the Chicken saw us, he'd climb over the stands to see R.M. I didn't know him personally but everybody loved that chicken. KGB, an awesome rocker (still is) probably did only pay $2 hrly but, it was the 70s when he started! I was working in radio there in the early 80s but had graduated college from SDSU when he just got going. It brings a real sense of happy reminiscence to see the photos, the video and recall a great time in my life.

jnoragon said...

The native American mascot controversy is fired up here every spring with the Cleveland Indians. The story of naming the team to honor an early player is pretty thin; personally I think they jinx themselves by not giving it up. And remember, I watched them lose the 1948 world series.

lisleman said...

It was one of the questions in the Wait Wait Don't Tell radio show. It's extra funny because it's so ironic. thanks

lisleman said...

I sense that I hit upon a pet peeve of yours. A good example of the Irish part getting stereotyped is the Notre Dame Leprechaun mascot. thanks

Kathy said...

Love the videos..too funny! My college mascots had to be changed all for the same reasons. I went to the University of Utah..the Utes! Mascot for many years was an Indian but now I'm not even sure what took it's place. Everything is about being politically correct these days!

lisleman said...

I didn't know about the Utah one. thanks

Secret Agent Woman said...

That second video with the condor made me laugh out loud.

Cheryl P. said...

Nah, not really...I am more akin to thinking that being politically correct is getting to the point of silliness . People get their pants in a wad over Indian mascots and such but as you say other groups roll with it. I guess, I am more OK with the leprechaun image than I am the hot-headed drunk stereotype. It seems that being politically correct these days wafts in and out according to who is doing the talking/doing.

lisleman said...

I'm always glad to share a laugh. It was very ironic. thanks

Sue at Naperville Now said...

poor condor (at least he headed to the locker room in one piece). thanks for stopping by.

lisleman said...

It look like the condor did better than the handler on the ice. Thanks for browsing over here.

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