Line #33 Main/MovementMascot


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4	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/movement_mascot_4.png]]
5	[[caption-width-right:350:''[[Film/VForVendetta Behind this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea... and ideas are bulletproof.]]'']]
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10	A character is created to be part of a series, a movie or any other media to be part of a story, being the protagonist, part of the main group or even being one of the villains or the rivals.
11
12	But sometimes it becomes [[AscendedMeme something more]]. It becomes a symbol, an icon, an emblem... a mascot. This is about characters that weren't conceived originally as mascot for a movement of any type (social, musical, political, etc.) but were chosen by their fans or followers as one, being part of many {{fanart}}s, music videos and even {{cosplay}}s.
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14	SubTrope of {{Mascot}} (which is this but for ProductPlacement), KitchenSinkDrama and AudienceReactions. Usually overlaps with GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff, being the character targeted as mascot from a different country. Not to be confused with SugarWiki/GushingAboutCharactersYouLike where a few people call it a mascot instead of a bigger group. See also IconOfRebellion and TheVoiceOfAGeneration.
15
16	Compare Justforfun/IntellectualPropertyReligion.
17
18	----
19	!!Examples:
20
21	[[foldercontrol]]
22
23	[[folder:Advertising]]
24	* Mac Tonight was a moon-faced mascot for UsefulNotes/McDonalds that was part of an advertising campaign to promote night-time orders of food. The character ended up becoming a meme on Website/{{YTMND}}, where he was dubbed "Moon Man" and text-to-speech programs were used to have him utter nonsense raps and racist spewings. By UsefulNotes/TheNewTens, Moon Man became [[https://www.salon.com/2016/10/25/meet-moon-man-the-alt-rights-new-racist-rap-sensation-borrowed-from-1980s-mcdonalds-ads/ a symbol for the alt-right movement]] and new videos were made where he raps about supporting white supremacy and police brutality.
25	[[/folder]]
26
27	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
28	* FutureFunk, the upbeat/danceable sub-movement of {{Vaporwave}}, has the {{anime}} from TheEighties and TheNineties as important part of their aesthetics. Of all characters used from these decades, Lum from ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' is often considered as the mascot of Future Funk, using mostly clips of the 80s anime where she's dancing and appearing in every music video or reference to this music genre. But she's not the only one. Usagi Tsukino from ''Anime/SailorMoon'' (the 1992 anime) is also considered as a mascot, especially thanks to MACROSS 82-99's album ''SAILORWAVE'', one of the foundational albums of Future Funk.
29	* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'' is [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff very popular]] in UsefulNotes/{{Chile}}. When the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Chilean_protests social movement started on October 2019]] against the president Sebastian Piñera, Inosuke Hashibira became the mascot of the movement, having [[https://www.alertageekchile.cl/2019/10/21/diferentes-ilustradores-muestran-a-inosuke-de-kimetsu-no-yaiba-como-parte-de-las-manifestaciones-actuales-de-nuestro-pais/ A LOT]] of fanarts of him battling police and being part of the movement as another Chilean, even having [[http://mouse.latercera.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/y4.jpg his own place in the national emblem]]. As a way to support Chile, other fellow Latin American countries like Bolivia and Peru (also in conflict with their governments) adopted the series' other protagonists [[https://larepublica.pe/resizer/n47zU8vQpahRDUwXI8QRwcxre0Y=/538x0/top/larepublica.pe/resizer/IHuMce9HUF1OVqZ_fY0tcp-hC7Q=/538x0/top/smart/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-gruporepublica.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IPAG7GWFD5GGPBO2UK3RHKTFN4.jpg as their mascots]].
30	* Although the 2020 Tokyo Usefulnotes/OlympicGames already have their own mascots (one for Olympic Games and one for Paralympic Games), Japan anyway has chosen [[https://twitter.com/trilavier/status/1045561698743013376 anime characters]] as "ambassadors" of these games. These characters are [[Franchise/DragonBall Son Goku]], [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Naruto Uzumaki]], [[Manga/OnePiece Luffy D. Monkey]], Manga/AstroBoy, Manga/{{Doraemon}}, [[Manga/CrayonShinChan Shinnosuke "Shin" Nohara]], Franchise/SailorMoon, [[Franchise/YokaiWatch Jibanyan]] and Anime/MahoGirlsPrecure. Originally Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] and [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Pikachu]] were also included, but they were cut off the final announcement for unknown reasons.
31	** And about anime characters as unofficial mascots, Tsubasa Ozora from ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'' was (and ''still'' is) one for the Japan national football team, even appearing in the 2002 FIFA World Cup made along with (South) Korea. In 2014, also [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Pikachu]] was chosen as the mascot of the team.
32	** ''Doraemon'' had been this as well, being already selected before as anime ambassador for the world.
33	* ''Anime/VoltesV'' is big in the Philippines because [[BannedInChina it was banned there by]] [[UsefulNotes/FerdinandMarcos a since-ousted president]], who is often claimed to have found its themes threatening[[note]]The latter half of the anime is of the heroes working to overthrow the corrupt PlanetBaron of Boazania, Emperor Zambajil, who himself is based on the Bourgeoisie of UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution[[/note]] - Website/TheOtherWiki [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltes_V#Cultural_impact has more details]].
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Comic Books]]
37	* The Argentinian comic strip ''ComicStrip/{{Mafalda}}'' has been chosen noneless by UNICEF (UsefulNotes/UnitedNations' children protection area) to represent Children's rights worldwide. The comic strip has been labeled as "''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' with politics", and Mafalda herself represents the children's voice and left a mark not just in Latin America but the rest of the world, reason more than enough to be chosen by UNICEF as their fictional representant.
38	* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepe_the_Frog Pepe the Frog]], a character from Matt Curie's ''Boys' Club'' comic book became famous thanks to TheInternet, being a famous MemeticMutation during the end of the TurnOfTheMillennium and beginnings of TheNewTens. However, in 2016 Pepe became a symbol for Alt-Right movements and UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump supporters, being dismissed by a lot of people, even for Pepe's creator. Recently his image was also being used by protesters in the Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests as a symbol of liberty and resistance, this time supported by Curie.
39	* [[ComicBook/ThePunisher The Punisher's]] skull insignia has been co-opted by a few police departments and military units thanks to his no-nonsense approach to stopping crime and his background as a war veteran. Creator/GerryConway, who created the character, [[https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/punisher-creator-gerry-conway-cops-using-the-skull-logo-are-like-people-using-the criticized this practice]] as the Punisher was meant to be a violent vigilante and a representation of the failures of the justice system. There's even a story where [[https://bleedingcool.com/comics/punisher-police-skull-logo-spoilers/ Frank Castle himself tears the skull from a police car calling out the]] MisaimedFandom. Marvel has since deprecated the old skull logo in 2022 after it was co-opted by alt-right and far-right groups, replacing it with a demon's skull logo inspired by the Japanese mythological figure Oni.
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
43	* V from ''Film/VForVendetta'' is something of a half example. His ''mask'' has certainly become an icon for a wide variety of social movements (and even Tropers/{{Anonymous}} identifies with it) but it's typically labeled as a "Guy Fawkes mask." While this is technically true, ''V for Vendetta'' codified the look of the Guy Fawkes mask. Full V cosplays are rather rare at protest, but not unheard of.
44	* ''Film/{{Joker\|2019}}'':
45	** An InUniverse example occurs when Arthur [[spoiler:is witnessed killing three employees of Wayne Enterprises (first as a CrimeOfSelfDefense, later as part of his personal agenda)]]. Because outsiders only see him as an unknown guy dressed as a clown, his actions are interpreted as an act of rebellion against the system, and later protests are populated by a number of people wearing clown masks.
46	** Out-of-universe, the film's focus on the widespread social hardship that results in anti-authority rebellion resulted in Arthur Fleck's version of the Joker persona becoming a popular image among social protests in countries such as Hong Kong, Lebanon, Ecuador, and Chile. Many protesters show up in-costume as Fleck's Joker, to the point where many analysts dubbed him the "new" Guy Fawkes mask.[[note]]Worth noting is that these protests ''exclusively'' utilize Fleck's Joker; his comic book counterpart's following is [[MisaimedFandom a different story entirely]].[[/note]]
47	* In the US, gay men historically referred to each other as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friend_of_Dorothy "friends of Dorothy"]], where the Dorothy in question is the one from ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''. This got to the point where the American Navy, who caught onto the euphemism, believed that "Dorothy" referred to a real person and tried to seek her out and interrogate her about gay men within their ranks.
48	* The character of Neo and in general ''Franchise/TheMatrix'' franchise made enough impact to create, more than a movement, a religion. As you read, this is what "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrixism Matrixism]]" (or "The Path of The One") is about, founded through TheInternet and being a tendency during the TurnOfTheMillennium.
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Literature]]
52	* Manny Heffley from ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'' became the face of an anti-police brutality movement on [=TikTok=] in 2020, with people drawing or painting graffiti of Manny's head next to leftist slogans. "The Manny will not be televised" became a rallying cry, based off the Music/GilScottHeron poem "Music/TheRevolutionWillNotBeTelevised."
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
56	* In regards to ''Mafalda'', [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dustin_the_Turkey Dustin the Turkey]], an Irish puppet who's also a TV presenter and a known figure in Ireland, is also a UNICEF ambassador.
57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Sports]]
60	* Gritty, the mascot of the [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague Philadelphia Flyers NHL team]] since 2017, has been embraced as [[https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/17/17990016/gritty-philadelphia-flyers-leftists-activism-protest-symbol a mascot for left-wing protest groups.]] They see him as a scruffy, weird-looking, working-class hooligan symbolic of the absurdities of modern life, and as a retort to the use of Pepe the Frog by alt-right activists. For left-wing Flyers fans especially, refashioning him as an IconOfRebellion is also a way to stick it to the Flyers' management.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
64	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
65	** Supporters of Donald Trump sometimes depict him as the God-Emperor of Mankind, which started from [[MisaimedFandom a satirical parade float]].
66	** Other Alt-Right leaders worldwide followed this tendency and also became MemeticMutation based on Trump's version. One of the most known versions is in Chile, where Alt-Right politician Jose Antonio Kast (also known by oppositors as [[UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan KKKast]] and directly called as "nazi") has his own version of this meme as the "God-Emperor Kast".
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Toys]]
70	* BLÅHAJ, a plush shark from IKEA, is mostly known nowadays as a symbol of the UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} community.
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder:Video Games]]
74	* Mei from ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3zg6-GLUc4 became a symbol for]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Hong_Kong_protests Hong Kong's protest for democracy]] in response to pro gamer Ng Wai Chung (aka "Blitzchung") speaking out in support of his native UsefulNotes/HongKong at the ''VideoGame/{{Hearthstone}} Grandmasters'' streaming event, resulting in Creator/BlizzardEntertainment (which Chinese tech giant Tencent owns 5% of) revoking his winnings and title. A surge of FanArt depicting Mei as a protester followed in hopes that getting one of Blizzard's characters, who is Chinese herself to boot, BannedInChina (similarly to how Franchise/WinnieThePooh is banned for {{memetic\|Mutation}} comparisons to President Xi Jinping) will further expose and scrutinize Blizzard and UsefulNotes/{{China}} for their unethical actions.
75	* The glider from ''VideoGame/ConwaysGameOfLife'' has been [[http://www.catb.org/hacker-emblem/index.html proposed]] as the "hacker emblem" by Eric S. Raymond, due to the game's connections to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_culture hacker culture]].
76	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
77	** Not exactly the character itself, but Pikachu also appeared as one of the mascots of the 2019 Chilean protests, in the form of a costume. The backstory is very innocent: a woman's child took the cellphone and bought various products from China, one of them being an adult sized Pikachu costume, then the conflict started and in October and when the "biggest march of Chile" happened, the woman opted to go as Pikachu, dancing during the protests and bringing joy and hope to the rest of the people and became a symbol until today. She's already know as "Baila Pikachu" (Dance Pikachu) and even has [[https://www.instagram.com/bailapikachu.oficial her own Instagram account]].
78	** [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Sylveon]] has become a symbol of transgender pride and trans rights, due to its color scheme being similar to the trans flag, having a feminine appearance despite its male-slanting sex ratio, and evolving from the more masculine-looking Eevee.
79	* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'''s Momiji has become a pro-[[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump Trump]] symbol, thanks to a [[MemeticMutation memetic]] [[https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/238457383628701697/671030296015142923/make-america-great-again-momiji-inubashiri-from-touhou-dont-know-52628803.png image]] of the character wearing a [=MAGA=] hat.
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:Western Animation]]
83	* WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants became an unofficial [[https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wdpawm/spongebob-squarepants-egypts-new-revolutionary-symbol mascot]] for youth protesters in the Middle East during the UsefulNotes/ArabSpring.
84	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': The title character and, in general, all the Crystal Gems have been marked as emblems in the LGBT community. Some also consider Steven an icon against the traditional and stereotypical norms of masculinity on the Internet and believe him to be an example to the new generations.
85	* [[Franchise/LiloAndStitch Stitch]] became a minor LGBTQ+ mascot on June 26, 2015 when the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCourts Supreme Court of the United States]] declared in a 5-4 decision that same-sex couples have the fundamental right to marry in the United States as guaranteed by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Since the date of the decision matched Stitch's [[Characters/LiloAndStitchExperiments experiment]] number when written in the MDY date format that the U.S. uses (6/26), this led to [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch the original film's]] openly gay co-writer/co-director Creator/DeanDeBlois to share a drawing of Stitch waving a rainbow flag and Lilo's rag doll Scrump waving a flag with the gold equal sign on a navy blue square logo of the Human Rights Campaign, which led to other Stitch fans doing the same, sometimes with other characters including other experiments. Now every "Stitch Day" on June 26, there will be FanArt of Stitch celebrating LGBTQ+ pride or there will be an LGBTQ+ symbol added somewhere in the artwork.
86	* The title character of ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'', specifically the Franchise/{{Disney\|AnimatedCanon}} version, was used by Chinese (and non-Chinese) internet users to mock their president, Xi Jinping, because of the similarities with the character, usually getting photos of the president and compared with Pooh's poses. This was the reason that usage of this character in political context was BannedInChina, and Chinese (and again non-Chinese) people who are against Xi Jinping still use Pooh's image as a symbol against Chinese government in general and their unfair laws.
87	** For example, in a Thailand vs. Chinese internet war in 2020, also known as the Thai-Chinese Meme War, [[https://image.taiwannews.com.tw/photos/2020/04/13/1586768180-5e942934bf064.jpg a Thai person calls his home country poor but refers to China as "Pooh". To add insult to injury, he added a photo of people in a Polish city gathering around in Pooh Bear suits.]] He also posted photos of Indian people (even more so since the ongoing China–India skirmishes) and [[https://twitter.com/IrrawaddyNews/status/1379351530826952705 Myanmar protestors]] wearing Pooh Bear masks as an insult to president Xi after Myanmar protestors were disappointed upon finding out that China has voiced their open support for Myanmar's military government.
88	** Sadly, this meme resulted in the Taiwanese indie horror game ''VideoGame/{{Devotion}}'' losing its publishing license in China, and it was pulled from Platform/{{Steam}} after it was review bombed by more nationalistic Chinese gamers.
89	[[/folder]]

Context Main / MovementMascot