You’re a Superstar

Being known as “The Chicago Cubs of Japan” is not a good thing.  While this team is not quite at the 107 year championship drought of the Cubs, they did go 40 years between wins- critics and fans alike expect that is will be another 40 years before they are champions again.

But they do have a few off-the-field wins going for them.  The Yokohama BayStars, a pro baseball team in the Japanese Central League, are the last team to not sell their name out to a corporation.  So instead of having some brand character wearing a product logo, they have a hamster with a star face and star-printed palms.

From 1950 to 1993, it was actually the Yokohama whales because they were founded by a fishing company, which is why their colours are still blue and white.

However, in the early ’90s, there started to be worldwide talk about a restriction on whaling, and the team decided it was time for something new.  Japan’s former Prime Minister Miyazawa even mentioned to former President Clinton that the team’s name change was due to the agreement on restrictions of international whale trade.  If changing a mascot doesn’t show the seriousness of an issue, I don’t know what does.

Being located on the Tokyo Bay, and wanting to keep the star from the background of the old logo, the team logically became the BayStars.  But don’t worry, they didn’t just get a hamster and roll with it, they took the name extremely literally, and got this for their cheer team:

It’s a star with a tiny body who is somehow managing to hold up that bat.  But don’t mess with him- he’s got that flat-bill hat.

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Genius Malaysia

In 2009, Southeast Asia formed a professional basketball league, the ABL, that only has 6 teams.  In 2014, they still only have 6 teams.  I guess sports are not as big in other nations as they are in the United States.

But, even the teams in this marginally successful league know that it is important to have a mascot.

The Westports Malaysia Dragons have done it up right, guys.

He leads the team in warm ups:

Cheers with the kids:

And is a really great dancer!

It’s good to know that Malaysia has its priorities straight.  Mascots first, other stuff, second. Good work!

7-11

I’m sleepy.  Like, really sleepy.  And I am dreaming of it being Friday, but of course it isn’t yet.  So why not choose a mascot who has waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much energy?  Maybe he will wake me up.
This cutie comes from Tainan City, Taiwan, representing the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, which, if you happen to know Mandarin, is translated as 統一7-Eleven獅.  They’re a professional baseball team who likes to break the rules a little bit, aka different mascot from logo,  
Lions, right?  Totes makes sense.    

But the mascot?!

Maybe it is a lion with a rainbow mane, like the colours of a 7-Eleven?  Either way, he is adorbs and happy and looks awake, which is more than most people can say this morning.  So today, try to be more like a 7-Eleven mascot, and represent the happies of the world.  

Koala Kutie

Who remembers Koala Yummies as a kid?!?!  Yeah, they were amazing.  Cookie WITH a cute koala on the outside, chocolate on the inside.  (Hush, Heather, you not liking chocolate is weird).  
So why not make a huge-headed, skinny-legged, Abercrombie-posing cutie into a mascot?!  A baseball team from Chunichi, Japan did just that, and here he is- Doala the koala.