Why a Silly Mascot Might Be Your Brand’s Smartest Employee

In a world obsessed with sleek rebrands and dead-serious visuals, I find myself increasingly charmed by the frankly ridiculous. Specifically, the brand mascot. Not the CGI monstrosities or corporate clip art clones, but actual characters. The ones with names, voices, and, if we’re really lucky, poorly thought-out backstories.

Think about it. What’s more memorable: an elegant gradient with a strategic dot over the ‘i’, or a suspiciously cheery goat named Gary who sells lawnmowers? We’re hardwired to remember stories and faces. Gary is a face. Your logo evolution, sorry to say, is not.

I’ve been digging into the forgotten art of mascotry and quietly losing my mind over its potential. The right mascot doesn’t just decorate your brand, it fights for it. It enters the group chats, inspires bootleg T-shirts, becomes Halloween costumes. It earns the kind of cultural cachet most brands would sell their data lists for.

The beauty of it? New Zealand’s small enough that one clever character can dominate a whole category if it’s done right. No need for global scale or seven-figure budgets. Just a bit of courage to look silly. And honestly, we could use more silly.