RSC Mascots – Ranked
April 1, 2020
- Shammie the Shamrock from Carlow University- I understand that Shammie means well, but I hate him. I hate that he reminds me of Gumby, in that it looks like he’s rubbery enough to contort into some other form, or at least to have some other face, but THAT is what he decides to look like. It’s reminiscent of those plastic dolls from the ’80s with hard faces. I would hate to see this guy in any setting, but especially at night. I feel like Shammie has the capacity to be a sleep paralysis demon. Bad. Bad Bad. I really do not like him.
- RedStorm from Rio Grande- So when I was trying to find the mascot for Rio Grande, all I could find was one drawing of a little greek god looking guy that they used for a digital RSC mascot championship a few years ago. I don’t know anything about RedStorm. His lightning bolt is… cool? I don’t think I can give Rio Grande a good rating only because there isn’t much of a mascot to rate here. They don’t even have a costume to bring their mascot to games.
- Gus the Grenadier from Indiana University Southeast- No. Just, no. If you’ve seen my other work on mascots, you know that I simply cannot stand a mascot that is a person but is still made into a mascot costume. They never look right and are consistently disappointing. I don’t even know what a Grenadier is, but the mascot looks so weird that I don’t want to look it up.
- The Midway Eagle- An eagle. That’s about it. He doesn’t even have a name, which dulls his character. Eagles are a very basic kind of mascot, and this guy seems pretty cookie cutter. I like the expression on his face, though. Good, mean expression.
- Isaiah the Asbury Eagle- When I was first doing my research on Asbury, I couldn’t find the name of the mascot. This isn’t uncommon, as many schools have mascots where it forgoes having a real name just to be “The University Noun.” (Just like the Midway Eagle.) I thought I was going to have two nameless eagle mascots on this list. I’m not a big fan of that because I think it makes the mascot devoid of personality and it results in the school only using them as an icon or logo. However, after more digging, I found out that Asbury University’s mascot’s name is Isaiah. Isaiah is a name with Christian origins meaning “Yahweh (or God) is salvation.” I’m not going to speak on religion, but I will say that I think there are cooler sounding bible names for your mascot. What about Solomon, like the one who was one of Israel’s youngest and greatest kings? Or Samson, who drew strength from his hair? The bible is full of stories of strength and power, and naming your mascot “Isaiah” makes him sound like a white belt at my brother’s taekwondo classes. Like I said, Eagles are also pretty basic, and there’s not much that separates Isaiah from the rest.
- Talon the Eagle from Alice Lloyd College- Talon is an eagle, and that’s about it. Like Isaiah the Eagle from Asbury University, there’s not much separating him from the plethora of other eagle mascots out there. He even looks like Isaiah. He does get bonus points for having a name like Talon. If you’re going to name your eagle mascot, that’s the way to go. Talon is a good, strong name for your eagle.
- Monty the Golden Bear of WVU Tech- Monty is a solid mascot. His costume is soft and friendly, but his dimensions and identity as a bear make up for that when it comes to the intimidation category. He’s a big softie, but if he was barreling towards you, you would fear for your life, no doubt. The logo is also pretty well designed. Overall, solid mascot. I like Monty.
- Barney the Brescia Bearcat- In concept, Barney terrifies me. Like, in the way mascots are supposed to. The logo is intimidating. The concept of a Bear-Cat strikes fear into my heart, as bears and big cats are both dangerous creatures. He is drawn with big teeth. These are all good things in regards to the purpose of the mascot. Bearcats could also be done in a more playful manner for purposes such as an Admitted Students Day. I do have some notes. First of all, his name is Barney. Not a great name for your intimidating mascot, but it’s not the worst. The bipedal Barney costume is not bad, but it does kind of look like he’s just constantly looking up. Overall, Barney is a great idea for a mascot, and Brescia should feel proud.
- Rufus the Red Wolf from Indiana University East- Rufus is terrifying in everything but his name. His drawing in the logo is fierce. His costume, pardon my language, is simply feral and I am LIVING for it. Very rarely do mascot makers include teeth on a mascot in order to make them seem more friendly to parents and children, but Rufus does NOT CARE. Rufus looks like he was made to do the exact job that a mascot was designed to do. I commend Indiana University East for their mascot design and I commend Rufus on the fine job he’s doing.
- Kingston Cougar from Indiana University Kokomo- Kingston is… intimidating alright. I think that his costume needs some work. His neck is really long and he doesn’t really shut his mouth ever, and while I know this is done for the ease of the wearer, it doesn’t make for an intimidating or friendly mascot. It more so makes him look very confusing and panicked. His eyes are also just painfully wide open constantly. He never blinks. He’s a better mascot than Shammie, but he also holds the same capacity for being a sleep paralysis demon. Kingston is a good name, though.
- Black Diamond II from Point Park- Tough, powerful, headstrong and kind, Black Diamond does not just exemplify what a good mascot should be, but what we should all strive to be as people. Black Diamond is historic, soft and full of personality; and I’m not just saying this because I’m a Pioneer, folks, and if I don’t put Black Diamond at the top of the list he will come to my house in the middle of the night and eat my houseplants. That’s not it at all. I truly believe from the bottom of my heart that Black Diamond is a mascot unlike no other.
