History Main / MascotMook

* The [[UglyCute/TabletopGame UrbanMech]] of ''TabletopGame/BattleTech''. Short, slow, not all that strong, and absurdly popular to the point of being the second or third most identifiable 'Mech in the game, just behind the ''Atlas'' and the ''Timber Wolf''. Current ''VideoGame/MechWarrior'' license holder Pirahna Games noticed this and responded by dedicating [[https://mwomercs.com/urbanmech an entire update]] to it.

* ''VideoGame/LaTale'' has the Prirings and their palette swaps, the original of which is the first monster you fight. They were so popular that they were later made available as a pet. The shaggies are also popular, with some players actually trying to make real world replicas of their VendorTrash drop - the shaggy doll.

** Starting from the second generation, each game has had a unique monster serving as its flagship, with some regional differences in between: Kushala Daora for ''2'' (making it the first Elder Dragon to grace a game cover), Tigrex for ''Freedom 2'', Nargacuga for ''Freedom Unite'', Lagiacrus for ''3'', Zinogre for ''Portable 3rd'', Brachydios for the Japanese version of ''3 Ultimate'', Gore Magala for ''Monster Hunter 4'' and the American release of ''4 Ultimate'' (it also represents the Monster Hunter franchise as a whole in ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsUnite''), Seregios for the Japanese and European release of ''4 Ultimate'', up to ''four'' monsters for ''Generations'' (referred to collectively as [[EliteFour the Fated Four]]: Astalos, Gammoth, Mizutsune and Glavenus), other two for ''Generations Ultimate'' (Valstrax and Bloodbath Diablos, though only the former appears in the cover), Nerigante for ''[[VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld World]]'', Velkhana for ''World: Iceborne'', and Magnamalo for ''[[VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise Rise]]''. And the ''Frontier'' games have even more.

Perhaps there's something memorable about their design or behavior. Maybe they are one the [[TheGoomba more basic and common enemies]] so their presence becomes a part of the series' setting. Maybe they are so [[AdorableEvilMinions cute]] or goofy that the player can't help but smile every time one of them pops up -- despite how often they ''will'' [[RandomEncounters suddenly pop up]] or how many of them the player will slaughter throughout the game.

* ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear'': The Noise are the series' regular monsters that keep coming again every season. They generally appear in hordes and are easily fodder to the heroines, but deadly to anyone else who doesn't have a Relic. They often appear in various forms of merchandise and they tend to appear as mascots in [=OVAs=].

* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'': The Minions. They even have their own [[https://www.facebook.com/minions Facebook Page]], and appear in more marketing than any of the lead characters. They even got [[WesternAnimation/{{Minions}} their own movie]].

* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': The titular Metroids, given that the franchise was named after them. Unlike most examples of this trope, even the weakest of them are powerful {{Elite Mook}}s that are usually met towards the end of most entries in the series. So until Samus gains enough power to defeat them, her most common enemies will be the Space Pirates instead.

* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': The titular Metroids, given that the franchise was named after them. Unlike most examples of this trope, even the weakest of them are powerful {{Elite Mook}}s that are usually met towards the end of most entries in the series.

* ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'': The Sharpclaw Tribe.

** Rathalos for the original ''Monster Hunter'', the first ''Freedom'', and the international release of ''[[VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld World]]''(which it shares with Anjanath), Azure Rathalos for ''Monster Hunter G'' and the Western release of ''3 Ultimate'', Seregios for the Japanese and European release of ''4 Ultimate'', Tigrex for ''Freedom 2'', Nargacuga for ''Freedom Unite'', Brachydios for the Japanese version of ''3 Ultimate'', Lagiacrus for ''3'', Zinogre for ''Portable 3rd'', Gore Magala for ''Monster Hunter 4'' and the American release of ''4 Ultimate'' (It also represents the Monster Hunter franchise as a whole in ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsUnite'') and Kushala Daora for ''2'', making it the first Elder Dragon to grace a game cover, followed by Nerigante for ''World''.
** Rathalos and Rathian serve as this for the series in general, having appeared in every game in the series and being subject to tons of merchandise, as well as the Yian Kut-Ku. This was cemented by the Rathalos' appearances in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''. There's also the Felynes and Melynxes, who have become popular enough that they make more non-mook appearances than mook appearances, though they're definitely still mooks.

* ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'': [[VillainProtagonist Your]] UglyCute Minions, who even get their own DS spin-off.
* ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'': The Sharpclaw Tribe.

* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': The titular Metroids, given that the series was named after them. They are however generally {{Elite Mook}}s at the very least when they appear, and in some games they tend to be the strongest enemies around.

* The titular zombies in ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies''. They are even more used in the marketing than the plants.

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* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'': The Minions even have their own [[https://www.facebook.com/minions Facebook Page]], and appear in more marketing than any of the lead characters. They even got [[WesternAnimation/{{Minions}} their own movie]].
* ''Franchise/StarWars'': Stormtroopers exist [[{{Mooks}} only to be mowed down]] and [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy demonstrate that yes, it]] ''[[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy is]] ''[[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy possible to be incapable of hitting the broad side of a barn]], but where would ''Star Wars'' be without them? They even managed to put them into the [[Film/AttackOfTheClones prequel trilogy]], in the form of the Clone Troopers. And then there's the [[Film/RogueOne Death Troopers]], the EliteMooks capable of scoring numerous kills while being a menacing Mascot Mook.

* ''VideoGame/RuneFactory'' has the Woolies, adorable bipedal sheep. Since the series a spin-off of ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' with monster battles and exploration added, the woolies can actually be tamed and used as a source of wool.

* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' has gained many of these over the years; [[TheGoomba Goombas]], Koopa Troopas, [[ActionBomb Bob-Ombs]], Lakitus, [[AngryGuardDog Chain Chomps]], [[ManEatingPlant Piranha Plants]], [[BigBoosHaunt Boos]], and Shy Guys being some notable examples.

[[quoteright:250:[[Franchise/DragonQuest https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MascotMook_1845.jpg]]]]
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* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' ''also'' had a visually identical enemy to the above in the Bakebake, but around the later games, fairies began to take their place, to the point that the former vanished entierly. Without them, the games would be grueling exercises of {{Boss Rush}}es. There are two spin-offs whose main character is/are fairy/ies: the manga Eastern and Little Nature Deity featuring three mischievous fairy, and the GaidenGame ''Fairy Wars'', starring a [[UsefulNotes/{{Baka}} well-known ice fairy]] fighting the aforementioned mischief makers; indeed, fairies are just as likely to be allies as they are to be foes.

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* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has numerous examples. When ''D&D 3.5'' was partially open-sourced, some monsters such as the beholder and mind flayer were even set aside as "Product Identity."
* The ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' RPG's crazy, singing, pyromaniac [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent Goblins]] have become this since the first adventure path.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' has the Blood Apes, the go-to demon summon for breaking skulls.
* The TabletopGame/GammaWorld retroclone ''Mutant Future'' has the spidergoats.
* The basic Space Marine of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''.
* The [[UglyCute/TabletopGame UrbanMech]] of ''TabletopGame/BattleTech''. Short, slow, not all that strong, and absurdly popular to the point of being the second or third most identifiable 'Mech in the game, just behind the ''Atlas'' and the ''Timber Wolf''. Current ''VideoGame/MechWarrior'' license holder Pirahna Games noticed this and responded by dedicating [[https://mwomercs.com/urbanmech an entire update]] to it.
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* ''Videogame/{{Subnautica}}:'' While not exactly mooks, since they don't attack you, if there is a creature symbolizing the game as a whole it's the omnipresent, adorable and [[AlienLunch delicious]] Peeper, a big-eyed fish found in most biomes that players adore and joke about often.

While this trope is most prevalent in video games, it is by no means exclusive to them; [[Franchise/StarWars Stormtroopers]], [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Zakus]], [[Series/DoctorWho Daleks]], and [[WesternAnimation/DespicableMe Minions]] are some iconic non-video game examples.

* The ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' franchise's [[CuteSlimeMook Slimes]], which subvert prior RPG depictions of the BlobMonster by being teardrop-shaped and having [[PerpetualSmiler large goofy smiles]] on their faces. The regular blue slimes are the [[TheGoomba first enemies]] encountered in the games and one of the weakest; however, they come in a [[UndergroundMonkey plethora of variations]] including the nigh-indestructible MetalSlime and the gigantic [[KingMook King Slime]]. They are probably one of the most well-recognized [=RPG=] monsters in gaming history, spawning tons of merchandise (in Japan, at least). There's even a DS title starring one: ''VideoGame/DragonQuestHeroesRocketSlime''.

** Second to the Slimes are the Platypunks, who show up in the more recent ''VideoGame/FortuneStreet'' games as playable characters.

** Second to the Slimes are the Platypunks, who show up in the more recent ''VideoGame/ItadakiStreet'' games as playable characters.

* [[VillainProtagonist Your]] UglyCute Minions in ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'', who even get their own DS spin-off.
* The Sharpclaw Tribe in ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures''.
* The Octoroks and the Moblins/Bokoblins in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda'' have been iconic with a fair amount of merchandise. Bokoblins even got an ''Toys/{{Amiibo}}'' for ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild.''
* The Arctic Warfare soldiers in the original ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''. While the game has other types of enemy soldiers, the arctic variants are the only ones that appear in the VR missions and are used to represent the original ''MGS'' in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPortableOps Plus''. Even Genola, a giant genome soldier who appears in the VR missions added in ''Metal Gear Solid: Integral'' and ''Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance'', is dressed in arctic warfare gear.
* Franchise/{{Metroid}}s, given the series was named after them. Although they are generally {{Elite Mook}}s at the very least when they appear, and in some games they tend to be the strongest enemies around.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' has one monster grace the cover per game.
** Rathalos for the original ''Monster Hunter'', the first ''Freedom'', and the international release of ''World'', Azure Rathalos for ''Monster Hunter G'' and the Western release of ''3 Ultimate'', Seregios for the Japanese and European release of ''4 Ultimate'', Tigrex for ''Freedom 2'', Nargacuga for ''Freedom Unite'', Brachydios for the Japanese version of ''3 Ultimate'', Lagiacrus for ''3'', Zinogre for ''Portable 3rd'', Gore Magala for ''Monster Hunter 4'' and the American release of ''4 Ultimate'' (It also represents the Monster Hunter franchise as a whole in ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsUnite'') and Kushala Daora for ''2'', making it the first Elder Dragon to grace a game cover, followed by Nerigante for ''World''.
** Rathalos and Rathian serve as this for the series in general, having appeared in every game in the series and being subject to tons of merchandise, as well as the Yian Kut-Ku. There's also the Felynes and Melynxes, who have become popular enough that they make more non-mook appearances than mook appearances, though they're definitely still mooks.

* The ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' franchise's Slimes, which subvert prior RPG depictions of the BlobMonster by being teardrop-shaped and having [[PerpetualSmiler large goofy smiles]] on their faces. The regular blue slimes are the [[TheGoomba first enemies]] encountered in the games and one of the weakest; however, they come in a [[UndergroundMonkey plethora of variations]] including the nigh-indestructible MetalSlime and the gigantic [[KingMook King Slime]]. They are probably one of the most well-recognized [=RPG=] monsters in gaming history, spawning tons of merchandise (in Japan, at least). There's even a DS title starring one: ''VideoGame/DragonQuestHeroesRocketSlime''.

* The ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' RPG's crazy, singing, pyromaniac Goblins have become this since the first adventure path.

* Although ''Anime/MazingerZ'' basically used a MonsterOfTheWeek formula, two of Mazinger's first opponents: Garada K7, a skull-faced Mechanical Beast with two detachable scythes on its head; and Doublas M2, a beast with two serpentine laser-shooting heads, are among the most iconic, and show up in just about every adaptation and ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' game (even if no other Mechanical Beasts appear).

* Metall (or Mettool, [[SpellMyNameWithAnS or however you spell it]]) from ''Franchise/MegaMan''. Sniper Joes, although they're mainly locked into the [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Classic]] series. In exchange, not a single one of those games doesn't feature some variant of them, and [[VideoGame/MegaManZX one game]] even features a Mettool-themed ThemePark. Metalls are a popular recurring enemy in ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'', but [[Anime/MegaManNTWarrior the anime]] turned the Pop-Up virus into a BreakoutMookCharacter of sorts; the heroes reprogram one of the Pop-Ups into an ally named Rush, whose special ability basically involves popping into the real world to lend help, and he gets a fair bit of focus for what is otherwise a somewhat-known, mildly annoying enemy in the original games.

* Metall (or Mettool, [[SpellMyNameWithAnS or however you spell it]]) from ''Franchise/MegaMan''. Sniper Joes, although they're mainly locked into the [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Classic]] series. In exchange, not a single one of those games doesn't feature some variant of them. Metalls are a popular recurring enemy in ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'', but [[Anime/MegaManNTWarrior the anime]] turned the Pop-Up virus into a BreakoutMookCharacter of sorts; the heroes reprogram one of the Pop-Ups into an ally named Rush, whose special ability basically involves popping into the real world to lend help, and he gets a fair bit of focus for what is otherwise a somewhat-known, mildly annoying enemy in the original games.

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* ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' doesn't really have "Mooks," per se, but the adorable, blank-faced, wiggling Gyroids are as iconic of the series as the cute little characters themselves. ''City Folk'' even introduces a Gyroid character named Lloid who runs the Auction House, for no other reason than Gyroids are adorable. Not bad for a little clay fire hydrant.
* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' has Creepers: strange [[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation bush monsters]] with [[ArtificialBrilliance more advanced AI]] than other {{Mooks}}, and a tendency to [[{{Griefer}} ruin player creations]] by [[ActionBomb exploding]] [[MadeOfExplodium on them]], making them the most well known {{mook}} in the game, and the game's mascot.
* ''VideoGame/MonsterRancher'' actually has ''six'' mascot monsters--although they vary in prominence, they are the six species most associated with the franchise (probably due to their [[Anime/MonsterRancher prominence in the anime]]). "Officially," the series' mascot is eyeball-monster Suezo, but pudgy penguin-like monster Mocchi is often used more prominently in the games' art and advertising. Tiger the blue wolf is also used prominently in the advertising, and Hare is especially popular in Japan. Finally, there are rock-monster Golem and CuteMonsterGirl Pixie rounding off the list of series mascots.
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* The Murlocs from ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. They got their own song, and are sold as plushie toys. Most famous critter in the game, mostly due to the sound it makes when it attacks. Players can even get baby murlocs as pets and they are often part of the annual Blizzcon events. They're also heavily featured in their card game spinoff, ''VideoGame/{{Hearthstone}}''.

* The Murlocs from ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. They got their own song, and are sold as plushie toys. Most famous critter in the game, mostly due to the sound it makes when it attacks. Players can even get baby murlocs as pets and they are often part of the annual Blizzcon events.

* The Cacodemon from ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}''.