Need a mascot?

[Eamonn]

This is just for fun.

Seems like a lot of organizations and companies do well with mascots.

Tony the Tiger looks better now then he ever has.

The Michelin man hasn't given into advertising peer pressure and gone on a diet.

The AFLAC duck seems that it will quack forever and I'm almost sure that the Gecko is a Brit.

I never was a great Garfield fan so that partnership was a little lost on me.

But maybe the time has come for us to have a mascot?

A Golden Retriever might fit the bill?

Or maybe a Transformer. A good one of course. But in no way wimpy.

If the BSA were to have a mascot, what do you think would fit the bill?

Ea.

[Buffalo Skipper]

The Cub Scout program does, in a way. Baloo.

[infoscouter]

Actually, the Cub Scouts have three, Akela, Baloo, and TC.

 

http://www.lasallecouncilbsa.org/dunes/Membership/Cub%20Roundup%20Resources.htm (see the picture in the upper right hand corner). They are featured in the Power Pack Pals comic books, and still on some Cub resources. I don't think they appear on the current marketing collateral, though.

 

BSA Licensing, the division that grants licenses for official merchandise has come up with "Plug and Axel". These guys are not noticeably Scouts - "these characters will help entertain and educate youth between the ages of four and seven in understanding character, the value of "doing the right thing at all times," and the importance of our natural resources. "

http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/Licensing/News/LicensedProperties/PlugandAxel.aspx

 

I'm not sure about what we'd use for a Boy Scout/Venturing mascot. Would youth that age respond to a manga-like Scout character? Or a video game hero type?

[pchadbo]

I would say for Cub Scouts, Akela is more often seen, but I just got a cool t-shirt with Akela, Baloo, and a Tiger (Shere Khan?) in Uniform.

[The Blancmange]

Dilbert. ;-)

[allenj]

What happened to Pedro?

[Stosh]

Pee Wee and Roy used to fit this bill.

 

Stosh

[Scoutfish]

I say use Dennis The Mennace!

 

Yeah, at first it doesn't have that appeal to it, but he just might be the total package of Cub Scouts if not Boy Scouts.

 

He's all boy, plenty of imagination, loves going outseide over being stuck inside ANYDAY!

 

He alwayts looks out for and encourages and supports his freind Joey too.

 

Has no fear of exploring or mud, cannot wait to try the next building project or exploration trip and is not afraid to get wet, muddy or soaked in the rain, a pond or puddle.

 

He's pretty good with rope and knots too!

 

And playing tea party or dolly dress up just ain't gonna pass muster!

 

Of course, if dennis is too busy, Calvin from Calvin and Hobbs would be great too!

[bnelon44]

Pedro is the Boys' Life mascot.

 

I don't remember the BSA ever having a mascot.

 

A lot of troops over the years have had mascots.(This message has been edited by bnelon44)

[infoscouter]

There are a couple of current comic page characters who have been depicted as Cub Scouts.

 

Red and Rover

 

http://cubpack270.com/

 

The Buckets regularly depict the youngest son Eddie as a Cub and his dad as den leader:

http://www.scoutingnews.org/2011/05/25/comic-running-around-the-building/

[moxieman]

Despite national guidelines, we are a naughty district, 'cause we have a District Mascot. Well, let me clarify that. We're naughty 'cause we have the mascot on a "district patch" which the local camp supporter group sells to raise funds for camperships.

 

He originated with the Maine State Dept. of Conservation back in the late 60's as "Tidy Coon" and filled the same role at the state level as Woodsy the Owl (though he's older than Woodsy as Woodsy was created in 1970). The "Keep Maine Scenic" program he was part of was retired in the early 80's.

 

Flash forward to a couple years ago when my wife and I were camping way Downeast (Cobscook Bay State Park) and we came across an abandoned Semi along US Route 1 with a faded, rusted sign from the old "Keep Maine Scenic" campaign. It features Tidy Coon pointing to the sign "Don't Litter, Take Pride in Your State, KEEP MAINE SCENIC" (photo below was shot a couple weeks before we came across it by the blogger in the link, who posted it a couple weeks after we saw it):

 

http://signsofmaine.blogspot.com/2009/09/keep-maine-scenic.html

 

I thought, he'd make a great mascot. Did some research, contacted DOC and obtained permission to use him if he was altered, we didn't use the name "Tidy Coon" and we only used him regionally and NOT nationally.

 

So, got rid of his litter bag, turned his litter stick into a hiking stave, put a fleur-de-lis on his campaign hat and rolled him out at our 2010 District Banquet. He's been a big hit.

 

You can see him on our website:

 

http://www.kv-scouts.org

 

Scroll down a little and he's on the right--only place he'd fit in the predesigned template provided by the webhost company (which gives free websites to troops/packs/districts if you follow their template).

 

We call him "Kevy", derived from "K-V".(This message has been edited by moxieman)

[Stosh]

Historically from Percy Keese Fitzhugh's books concerning the early program of the Boy Scouts in America (book series commissioned by the BSA), Pee Wee Harris (Walter Harris) was the mascot for the Silver Fox Patrol of Troop 1, Bridgeboro, NJ. Roy Blakeley was "fun time" scout of that patrol and was a constant companion to Pee Wee. Boys' Life picked up on that tradition and carried it through for the majority of the history of BSA until Pedro took over some time in later years (post-1960's) Although not a member of the 8 boy patrol, Pee Wee accompanies the patrol all the time as their mascot. He is described pretty much as a Boy Scout on steroids, wearing his uniform all the time, belt ax and fry pan on his waist, mess kit and canteen hung over the shoulders, and what he lacked in physical stature, he made up for in largeness of voice. He constantly promoted the BSA program amongst the youth of his area.

 

Pee Wee's attention to detail and use of Scout skills enables him to grow up and eventually become a detective. He has at least 6-8 books attributed to him directly as well as multiple references in the Tom Slade and Roy Blakeley series. Back in the 1930's Boys' Life ran a complete novel of him printed as a series in the magazine.

 

I could very well be that he and Roy's popularity waned when the "Great Change" occurred in BSA in the 1970's. However, he reigned supreme in the first half of the BSA movement. I wonder what National was thinking when it took Pee Wee Harris (scout skills) and Roy Blakeley (fun and excitement) out of scouting and replaced them with a donkey and a backpack. Now there's a marketing idea that just had to sell big time.

 

If one ever wishes to know what the Boy Scout program was like in the 1920-1930 era, these books are a very good read. However, one has to remember that the G2SS didn't apply back then.

 

 

 

Stosh(This message has been edited by jblake47)

[oldisnewagain1]

Unofficially, there was always Snoopy.

 

http://www.examiner.com/history-landmarks-travel-in-national/take-a-hike-snoopy-the-beagle-scout-and-100-years-of-boy-scouts

[Oak Tree]

Wilbur the White-Tailed Antelope Squirrel

[skeptic]

If it was not for the copyright issue, I think, Smokey might have filled this niche. You will find him in a number of earlier scouting materials and posters.

 

Mickey was also an approved rep during the 40's and early 50's; he was an icon for a couple of jambos. There were a few promo items with Ronald McDonald back awhile, aimed at cubs; similar to the Caspar ads for Cubbing. Dennis the Menace was actually used by BSA for a couple of promos as well. Kermit has been a SM or scout, as has Pac-Man. During the 40's and 50's, we had "The Little Scouts". Other recognized comic figures of which I have found either authorized or unauthorized scouting graphics are Woody Woodpecker, Tweety and Sylvester, Taz, Superboy,Roy Powers,Homer Simpson, Franklin Turtle, Flintstones, Goofy, Donald and the nephews, Fox and Crow, BC, Blondie, Archie, Beetle Bailey, "Ha-Ha Comics", Calvin and Hobbs, and Daisy the Cow. There are also the sort of related Bear Scouts, Buttons and the Boy Scouts, and so on. Also are a number of odd ball comic books with which few are familiar, along with numerous off the wall stuff. We have even been featured in Mad, Playboy, and Marvel specials.

 

Many of the off the wall things I have discovered are hilarious; but others are not something I would want boys to see due to either their "adult content" or simply derogatory material aimed at the BSA or Scouting in general.

 

Lots already there, or you might have a contest to find a totally unique and specific symbol or mascot.