It's like online reviewers are overrated and their credibility shouldn't be judged by the amount of views, yet we just watch it because TH-cam is mostly garbage these days, right?
I found Bing Bong to be annoying so yeah, his death didn't leave much of an impact either. But does Inside Out even have a "mascot character"? They all seem to get about the same level of marketability.
@@abhainn35 Anxiety is Inside out 2 is extremely marketable rn with all her merch, it was such a good design that she got alot of ppl to like her but she isnt the mascot. But nobody in inside out is more or less something since they are all apart of one persons head I would say Riley is the Mascot/Main Character honestly, but it all feels pretty complicated to figure out
I agree but Bingbong feels more like a side character then a mascot one. I personally don't count him as part of the "mascots are annoying" conversation
Bing Bong does not deserve to be dismissed as a "mascot character who sucks". He is very well-written, utilized well within the narrative, and represents the innocent and childish part of Riley. Him disappearing is a representation of Riley growing up. He is absolutely integral.
@@embrixcandray6073 I hesitate to even call Bing Bong a mascot, he feels more like a side character. I think Fear and Anger are more recognizable than Bing bong. Since the purpose of a mascot is to be most recognizable character from a story.
I feel like a great indication of why Bing Bong isn't a mascot is that he barely showed up in the marketing before the movie came out. Like the Minions and Olaf were given a lot of focus since I imagine the studio knew they would be popular
Yes, and if he was really there to just be marketable they wouldn't have killed him off, he should not be in the same category as Olaf now HE was annoying asf
Yeah and didn’t become the core of the franchise which focused on growing with its audience and putting its characters through actual development and changes that have an impact.
Bing Bong didn't struggle with being forgotten by Riley by virtue of being the symbol of her childhood she was growing out of just for being dismissed as a "mild annoyance". By fading away, he does have the symbolic purpose to show Riley's growth.
i think bing bong ties into the theme very well, he represents childhood and part of the theme is that you should learn to accept that the past is behind you and you won't go back to that time, bing bong's death symbolizes that Riley's grown up and is no longer as playful and innocent as she was before
Also Bing bong its a character with an actual arc and development on the movie, being someone attached to memories (almost literaly) who really just wanted Riley to keep being the same lil girl, but at the end understanding she doesnt really needs him anymore, he did his part on her life, but rn she actually needs Joy
I actually really enjoyed Bing Bong, he wasn't perfect as a character, but what he represented--the simplicities of younger life--and how Joy had to let go of that image of Riley to help her grow up, really touched my entire family. Just wish he was less annoying when we first meet him.
He pushes pass C-3PO's cowardness and decides to escape using the escape pods. He treks through the desert in search for him. When the Jawas sell the droids to Luke, R2 does everything he can to hide the message from Luke. Then R2 runs away to keep looking for Obi-Wan in the desert even with the restraining bolt left on him.
I honestly found them funny. Never a dull moment with them. But seriously I hope DM5 is the final one and anything after that is like a spinoff or tv show.
I do not agree with putting Bing-Bong on a list of “annoying mascots”. People don’t cry at his death because it’s a funny silly mascot whose suddenly dying people cry at it because of what it represents: the loss of Riley’s childhood and innocence. Out of all of the characters you listed in that section he is the only one whose death actually hits for people. And that’s because he isn’t just mindless jokes and he isn’t just important to the plot he’s also important to the themes and emotional core of the movie. Plus the scene is just really well written. “Take her to the moon for me” gets me every time.
This is why I find Happy from Fairy Tail so great: Everything about him just screams mascot, but not only is he actually funny, but he has a well-developed and fun character arc in his own right that is really refreshing once you pay attention to it.
Okay, I'm not gonna lie: this video was originally built on the concept of him being the end example, but I thought it wasn't quite as conclusively the best as the mirrors portion, so I decided to hold my praise for him off until... another project
“They’re not a brand”? Then how come you classified Shaymin as a mascot character when Pikachu is literally right there? Also, I think most of these examples have a common term called ‘sidekicks’ while others are literal Chekov guns.
I was looking for a "sidekicks" comment, and I agree. There is a difference between actual sidekicks, like Dug or Bing Bong and clumps of characters like the Toy Story aliens or Minions.
I reallly hate how wish made the star into a marketable plushie instead of making him a twink with a cute romance with asha( also the removal of the double villain couple)
It's not even that he didn't cry about it that pisses me off, it's that he found Bing Bong's character as "just a mascot character that sucks" but he was legitimately well-written.
Chopper form One Piece is a great mascot character. His character arc is about carrying on the will of his mentor, and it's no surprise that Chopper's debut arc in One Piece is all about one of the series' core concepts, being inherited will. And it's not like Chopper becomes dead weight after his debut arc, there are many times in the series where he has to push his own boundaries or take a stand against someone who's very existence shits all over his ideals or his friends(think Dr. Hogback and Queen). One Piece would literally not be One Piece if it Chopper wasn't there, so I think someone like him would belong in the top tier of your video.
Yeah a real cinematic universe is typically a collection of mostly unrelated stories that still take place in the same universe and sometimes might interact.
Persona 3 excels with it's two mascots, Aigis and Korumaru, as not only are they fleshed out characters, even if one is just a normal dog, but both are integral to the main's plot themes of finding meaning in life, especially Aigis.
Now's a good excuse for me to bring up Gizmo from the Gremlins films. The entire franchise relies on the rules of owning a Mogwai by not exposing them to bright lights, water, or feeding them after midnight. When said rules are broken, Gizmo would get bullied by Gremlins, leading him to finally put a stop to their shit whether he'd incinerate one through sunlight, or turn into Rambo and light a mf on fire to protect his friends. All while serving as a fucking adorable mascot character.
Well if you go to Japan, Minions are MUCH beloved there. Even the Universal Japan Park is loaded with them. I'd say the Minions fits Japan's ideal kawaii mascots lol
It sucks so much that Illumination turned Despicable Me into such a nothing, trash franchise. It started off with such an actually good movie, the first one. Second one was also good just started some trends I dislike.
@@jacksondavies3595Thank you. The second film hate is really starting to get ANNOYING. I have no problem with the third or even the fourth film hate, but the second film hate is where I DRAW the line.
It feels like whenever comic relief characters become mascots of their respective franchises, there's a big risk of them getting too much favoritism to the point of fans getting sick of them.
Puss in Boots 2 is a very recent movie thay showed us there are people working at big studios who know how to properly tell a well thought out story with great characters. But it takes TIME and FREEDOM from the artists involved in them. Something that these studios seem very reluctant to allow, for some reason. Afterall, Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish was a box office and critical success
Anya works because she has an actual fleshed out personality and has good chemistry with literally everyone in the show. While her character is a bit static and she doesn't really change herself, she changes the people around her (mostly Loid, Yor and Damian). She's surprisingly far from being a one-trick pony
The best mascot characters are one's that are not only easily recognizable, but have a timeless charm that can be enjoyed by anyone no matter the era. At best, you'll get stuff like Pikachu or Neco Arc. At worst, you get unintentional hate sinks like the Minions or that goat from Wish.
probably a separate catergory of "apart of main cast but more recognizable than the main character, mainly just comic relief sidekick but does have his moments, doesn't eat up too much of runtime with his gags and is overall quite good for a "mascot character"
I think the best written mascot character I have ever seen is King from The Owl House. Yes, he is cute cat/wolf thing with a skull head which is a perfect personification for the heartwarming horror fantasy story he is in, but he also gets developed just like any other character in the show, and just like everyone in the cast, it is revealed he is a very tragic character, and said experiences shape how he acts at the climax of the story.
the rabbids are a weird case of franchise parasites where they essentially just became they’re own franchise and eventually with the mario + rabbids games they became mostly their own thing and actually made them actual characters instead of just mascots
Bing Bong is more of a side character instead of a mascot considering there was no marketing on him. He may seem somewhat annoying to you and some people, but not everyone thinks he's annoying. Plus he is Riley's imaginary friend who soon learns that Riley is growing up and that he can't be with her forever. His sacrifice really touched a lot of people's heart because of the lesson that came with it and I'm sorry if it didn't touch yours or anything else's heart.
Woody Woodpecker is probably the most underrated mascot that sadly got taken away by the Minions. I'm not saying the Minions are terrible, I still love them, but I don't think they fit NBCUniversal that well as that crazy bird.
Frankly, even with the lesser cartoons and the live action movies, Woody Woodpecker deserves more of a chance to shine. Otherwise he’ll just be remembered for AVGN.
I remembered visiting Universal Studios Japan in 2009, and seeing Woody Woodpecker everywhere. Make sense, since Woody is to Universal what Mickey is to Disney.
Yeah, I kinda hate how they just put him to the sidelines to make the Minions their mascot. I honestly wanted WB to buy the character and do something with him since it was clear he's no longer the face of Universal, but after the 'Coyote vs. Acme' fiasco I'm sort of having second thoughts
Illumination is really ahead of the curb when it comes to appealing to the IPad babies. There movies are meant to show funny short segment and gimmicks that can not only be clipped and easily shared to market the movie, but hold the attention span of children.
I feel like Illumination would do better if they did a tv show adaption of Despicable me. 3 & 4 do seem like actual episodes, only difference is length.
Koromaru will always be my favorite mascot Cause he's literally just a dog, he's not a weird simp like Teddie or Morgana, he is very literally a dog who only says woof and I love him. Best written Persona character
The biggest problem with Despicable Me 4 for me was that I was actually looking forward to the Minions coming back onscreen, as other than Megamind & Modern Family woman's scenes, as well as the opening & ending, NOTHING about the main plot was funny. Then again, I am a fan of the Minions, but I do understand the complaints about their characters.
I actually hope that time loop thing brought up as an explanation as to why nobody has aged is the plot point for the 5th film. Would be pretty insanee
@@Cubeytheawesomethat’d be a wild ending but illumination would never have the balls to do it, the Minions is to them what SpongeBob is to Nickelodeon.
@@egg_l0rd13 Fun Fact He's played by the same Japanese VA as Pikachu, Chopper, and Vivi from Final Fantasy. The English actor for Morgana also played Sothis from Fire Emblem, and Kyubey from Madoka Magica. Talk about type casting.
I honestly blame SpongeBob for this trend. Before that the annoying characters in animation tended to be one off or side characters. Now it's always one of the main ones to appease to the brainrot they've spread for 3 decades
Yeah, but early SpongeBob was actually decent. There's a stark contrast between silly and loveable and annoying and blatantly ignorant, or else Goofy wouldn't work in the early Disney cartoons.
Spongebob was far from the first annoying main character in animation, that had been a trope for decades before him. Just look at Daffy Duck. Or Woody Woodpecker. Even if we fast forward to the 90's, the Warner Siblings predate Spongebob too.
I don't know how calculated an edit this was, but talking about The Minions as a franchise parasite while Rayman music is playing in the background isn't lost on me. Rabbids being promoted from a threat en masse for a game into their own media-engulfing entity and completely overshadowing the franchise they came from did the boy dirty. They have two games with Mario. Rayman is the DLC. It's a funny juxtiposition.
I wouldn't exactly call the Toad from the Super Mario Bros Movie a mascot. He's more of a comic relief character. I think most people still think of Mario when they think of the face of the Mario Movie. Though who knows? Maybe Illumination will change that over time like they did with the Minions. Hopefully that doesn't happen.
I think Jiji from Kiki Delivery Service might be a good example of a mascot character. While he is mostly there for comic relief, he doesn't take over the story and actually adds to kiki's character development after he "loses" the ability to talk and even starts getting a life of his own, separate from Kiki.
I think it's easy to sum up mascots done well by pointing out that nearly every beloved animated character made in the 80's and 90's was effectively a mascot character. They don't need to be mindless and one-note, thrown around without a care.
Owlhouse is a wonderful example of having mascots across the spectrum but done in a way that you really don't mind them being there, they contribute to the story, or with King being the best example, transitions from urgency to mirror as he becomes the living embodiment of change and growth for the world in the end.
I stopped paying attention to the DM franchise when the Minions movie came out. Seems like I made the right call. From the sound of it, Illumination Entertainment fell off in general. I mean, aside from Mario anyway but Mario only worked because Nintendo was so strict with it.
I work at a movie theater and half of the people going to see Despicable Me 4 call it Minions. They’re not even a mascot for the franchise, they’re THE franchise.
Gotta admit, was not expecting Giritina and the Sky Warrior to get slight mentions. Anyway, I do agree. Marketable, mascot type characters can work very well when they're treated as more than just a consistent unfunny punchline or when the fact they are here to sell toys isn't obvious. Mascots who are required for the media to work throughout the media's duration should always be the way to go.
It really is such a shame that a pokémon with a status like Shaymin, a powerful Mythical pokémon, has been permanently associated with its subpar role in that movie. Even worse that it's not the last time it'd happen... _(Sounds of hoop portals opening in the distance.)_
I've never seen the movie. What's so annoying about shaymin? Is it like a "tries way too hard to be cute they end up being sickeningly sweet" kind of annoying?
Stitch can be consider as a mascot? He's a comic relief, is really cute and there's a lot of plushes of him plus the alien is a meet and greet character in Disney parks. I like Stitch! He's not annoying unlike the Minions 🥰 Gurgi and Hei-hei the chicken are both ugly, not funny and so annoying! Nothing about them is interresting or cute. I hate them!
Some examples of good mascot characters Servbots - Mega Man Legends Anya - Spy x Family Gir - Invader Zim Rabbids - Mario + Rabbids Unikitty - The Lego Movie Slime - Dragon Quest Prinny - Disgaea No Face - Spirited Away
I would push back that characters like MO, Bing bong, and Toad don’t really fit the criteria of mascot characters because the leads in their respective movies were intended to be the most marketable aspect. Mario and WALL·E are clearly the mascots AND the leads. Mo, BB, Toad are made to be cute and funny, sure but they’re still intended as supporting characters
I feel Plank from/with Ed Edd n' Eddy is an example of a good franchise mascot (and not just because I'm an obsessive fanwork creator for that show) Not one the main characters, doesn't even talk or move much, and isn't even a cutesy design or character at all(he's actually really snarky when analyzing his dialogue that he passes on to Jonny), yet iconic as all Hell without being overbearing or annoying
That blue ameboae thing from Disney's Strange World is like, the only passable character in the thumbnail, and that's just because it wasn't tarnished by further sequels and shorts like Olaf and the Minions and thanks to the movie bombing it might not get a chance to Rabbids too but those were kinda mid in the beginning, got worse over time and only recently became something actually likeable, in short bursts though
I find it funny that the higher up on the list these characters got, the less marketable they became, obviously thats not 100% true because Mushu was insanely popular as marketing material with toys and what not but the others really dont have that, especially ones like the Box Trolls or Perito, I dont know if Perito has a ton of merch but if he does then he has significantly less of it compared to Puss and Kitty at least where I live, Morgana is another example, he doesnt even have a major figure of his own as far as I know, where as every single other phantom thief member, including the two from royal have one or often times multiple, morgana has plushies but from being in the persona fandom for so long the figures are usually the more important things, it's hilarious and a little ironic that the more depth a mascot character has and by proxy the more of a real character in the story they become, the less marketable they end up being as a mascot. great video!
One example of a great Mascot that Braxton didn’t mention that I think deserves dissection is The Transformers. The cartoons always focus on the Transformers (specifically both sides of the conflict) and treat them all as characters, while the movies (with two obvious exceptions) almost always portray them as afterthoughts to their own films, instead relegating them to what feels like background noise while the human characters take most of the screen time, depriving the Cybertronians character depth and making them feel like cardboard cutouts until the movie swaps them out with trained stuntmen for the big action sequences. The two movies that treat both the Autobots and Decepticons like actual characters coincidentally are the best Transformers movies, being the 1986 “The Transformers: The Movie”, a tie-in film to the animated series of the same name, and 2018’s “Transformers: Bumblebee”, a film that copied the homework of “The Iron Giant” and reskinned it to be about Bumblebee. I do recommend watching the 2 movies I referenced, as they are fun to watch and they treat the Transformers as actual characters.
I think Iggy from jjba does this so well because while no he isnt the face you think of when you think jojo he is the character of part 3 who is more like a jobro then kakyoin .
Minions could have been reused as actual threat in the films but I feel like they forgot the real reason the minions existed in the despicable me film for
With that Steve Carrel ad for Despicable Me 4, I thought they were becoming self-aware and were going to go a fun deconstructionist route with that franchise and the minions... They sometimes do it from the brief bits I've seen from them, but only sometimes. I've never watched any of their movies, all what is it, like 9 movies between Despicable Me, Minions, and that villain offshoot that I think was played by Trey Parker. I don't know, I just remember Trey Parker was in one of these movies for his daughter... I really don't remember or know much about this franchise.
They should actually do that. I’d watch it. Also it would be hilarious. I love illumination’s shitposts. I wish some of their films could be a bit more mature so they weren’t as hated
@@Cubeytheawesome I was reviewing Bluey on IMDB and was commenting how MATURE the jokes were, they weren't crass or innuendo laden. They were just smarter jokes than the show's key audience would catch on. Puns, play on words, adult subject matters like taxes, etc. You can be mature without crudity. It's like "A Monster Calls", one of my favorite kid's movies, I mean I was like 24 when I saw it, I think, with my mother, and was blown away with how mature this movie was. A boy's mom is not going to make it due to advance cancer, he's not taking it well. So through out the movie, a giant Tree monster tells him a story and the fourth story the boy has to come up with or be devoured by the monster. The stories the monster tells are great, they're morally ambiguous and don't have a right answer. LOVE THAT MOVIE. Highly recommend it, it's mature since it doesn't insult the intended age's intelligence. Spoiler, there isn't a happy ending, mom doesn't magically get cured, but she's merely the catalyst to the whole thing to begin with.
The best mascot characters are the ones like Roger Smith and Tina Belcher that weren’t necessarily made to be mascot characters but earned the mascot status by being the best characters in the show.
When I was a kid, I found Doug from Up to be funny. As an adult, I appreciate the character arc he went through and while you brought up some good points about Morgana, I do think Doug is the better mascot character. Even as a huge fan of the Rabbids growing up. I do understand why Rayman fans resented them for stealing the spotlight. You know those jokes about the Minions serving a certain dictator fail to take account that the Minions got most of their masters killed. Like if they served that certain dictator, WWII would’ve been made much easier for the allies.
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Remember the golden rule, mascots that want to appeal to everyone end up appealing to no one!
Like being everyone’s friend.
when you’re everyone’s friend you’re no one’s best friend.
That goes for everything honestly
That reminds me of people trying to appeal to everyone to video games.
You have seen the popularity of minions haven't you
@@RockNRollHorrorshow "When everyone's super, no one is!"
“Ok class, what’s the mascot character in Ice Age?”
Everyone: Scrat!
Just Stop: THE BABY!
It's like online reviewers are overrated and their credibility shouldn't be judged by the amount of views, yet we just watch it because TH-cam is mostly garbage these days, right?
Here’s a better question: how the hell can you call Roshan (aka Ice Age Baby) a mascot character? He’s more like a Chekov gun or a MacGuffin.
I think that's looking a little too far into it bro@@MforMovesets
@@MforMovesets Try watching Ojamajo Doremi, it's the only show I've ever seen that writes a baby character right.
@@MforMovesets You missed out, I also thought it was going to be trash when that happened, but it's actually even better than the previous season.
I also wasn’t sad when Bing Bong died, but he’s not a mascot. He’s a side character who’s somewhat relevant to the plot.
And he also doesn't suck because he's actually well-written.
I found Bing Bong to be annoying so yeah, his death didn't leave much of an impact either. But does Inside Out even have a "mascot character"? They all seem to get about the same level of marketability.
@@abhainn35
Anxiety is Inside out 2 is extremely marketable rn with all her merch, it was such a good design that she got alot of ppl to like her but she isnt the mascot.
But nobody in inside out is more or less something since they are all apart of one persons head
I would say Riley is the Mascot/Main Character honestly, but it all feels pretty complicated to figure out
I agree but Bingbong feels more like a side character then a mascot one. I personally don't count him as part of the "mascots are annoying" conversation
Thank you
Bing Bong does not deserve to be dismissed as a "mascot character who sucks". He is very well-written, utilized well within the narrative, and represents the innocent and childish part of Riley. Him disappearing is a representation of Riley growing up. He is absolutely integral.
I DO NOT stand for this Bing Bong hate.
@@embrixcandray6073 I hesitate to even call Bing Bong a mascot, he feels more like a side character. I think Fear and Anger are more recognizable than Bing bong.
Since the purpose of a mascot is to be most recognizable character from a story.
Right?!! I was so confused when he lumped Bing Bong in here
I feel like a great indication of why Bing Bong isn't a mascot is that he barely showed up in the marketing before the movie came out. Like the Minions and Olaf were given a lot of focus since I imagine the studio knew they would be popular
Yes, and if he was really there to just be marketable they wouldn't have killed him off, he should not be in the same category as Olaf now HE was annoying asf
imo the little green aliens from Toy Story were the OG minions
At least they were not as parasitic.
Yeah and didn’t become the core of the franchise which focused on growing with its audience and putting its characters through actual development and changes that have an impact.
They never became parasites. In fact they kinda got better
casually saved the lives of our cast in a crucial moment...
fuck yeah, these little space aliens rock!
There were only like three aliens that ended up as recurring, and I don’t remember them driving away from the story for whacky hijinks.
Perrito isn't a mascot. He's just him.
🗿👍🏻
Facts
Bing Bong didn't struggle with being forgotten by Riley by virtue of being the symbol of her childhood she was growing out of just for being dismissed as a "mild annoyance".
By fading away, he does have the symbolic purpose to show Riley's growth.
No one has the balls to make mascots protagonists anymore. They would have to give them a real personality, which would complicate the marketing.
Correction, no one in Hollywood has the balls to make mascot protags anymore.
True. It sometimes work making the side character a protagonist and give them they're own movie like Timon and pumbaa but the minions? Hell naw!
We need more Kirby-like characters
@@chobies5383No.
Very much still happens in video games at least
I am still mad that rayman was replaced by the rabbids
Most north pole type take in existence
@@Picccles_hates-dbl what does that even mean
@dravenmartinez6311 I think that was their way of saying it was a common/cold take maybe?
It still burns me too the betas for rayman 4 looked so cool
But he had one of the best 2d platformers of the decade so it isn’t all bad with rayman
i think bing bong ties into the theme very well, he represents childhood and part of the theme is that you should learn to accept that the past is behind you and you won't go back to that time, bing bong's death symbolizes that Riley's grown up and is no longer as playful and innocent as she was before
I am actually quite pissed off at Just Stop's indifference towards Bing Bong because he is quite well-written.
Also Bing bong its a character with an actual arc and development on the movie, being someone attached to memories (almost literaly) who really just wanted Riley to keep being the same lil girl, but at the end understanding she doesnt really needs him anymore, he did his part on her life, but rn she actually needs Joy
Also he ended up showcasing how Sadness could be helpful in certain situations
Bing Bong being compared to Olaf is crazy lmao 😭 he was genuinely well written and fit the theme
I was about to say that the Bing bong slander was unjustified
Bro did not just diss my boy bing bong
Exactly, Bing Bong does not belong on this list because he's a well fleshed out and well-writen character.
He has the same voice as Tom from the Tom & Jerry Movie (1992). 😗
That's a little fact I just find interesting.
@@TheUnmitigatedDawn I hesitate to even call Bing Bong a mascot. I think Fear and Anger are more recognizable than Bing bong.
Sorry but i cant look at minions without being reminded of that one video of a girl having meltdown over them
Video link?
Our Third Life goated
I’m glad I don’t know about that. That sounds horrible
Pupinia is an icon of our generation
I was unaware of this video, but I will now seek it out because it sounds hilarious.
I actually really enjoyed Bing Bong, he wasn't perfect as a character, but what he represented--the simplicities of younger life--and how Joy had to let go of that image of Riley to help her grow up, really touched my entire family. Just wish he was less annoying when we first meet him.
0:34 That is the first phase of turning into a Minion, there is no cure.
F’s in the chat, it’s joever 😔
🤔R2-D2 definitely has his own agency. He has a mission to find Obi-Wan Kenobit and get the Death Star plans to the rebellion.
He pushes pass C-3PO's cowardness and decides to escape using the escape pods.
He treks through the desert in search for him.
When the Jawas sell the droids to Luke, R2 does everything he can to hide the message from Luke. Then R2 runs away to keep looking for Obi-Wan in the desert even with the restraining bolt left on him.
The Minions like many kids movie mascots are fun in small doses but when they take over the entire franchise? That's a problem.
I honestly found them funny. Never a dull moment with them.
But seriously I hope DM5 is the final one and anything after that is like a spinoff or tv show.
@@Cubeytheawesome I hope so too
I do not agree with putting Bing-Bong on a list of “annoying mascots”. People don’t cry at his death because it’s a funny silly mascot whose suddenly dying people cry at it because of what it represents: the loss of Riley’s childhood and innocence. Out of all of the characters you listed in that section he is the only one whose death actually hits for people. And that’s because he isn’t just mindless jokes and he isn’t just important to the plot he’s also important to the themes and emotional core of the movie. Plus the scene is just really well written. “Take her to the moon for me” gets me every time.
This is why I find Happy from Fairy Tail so great: Everything about him just screams mascot, but not only is he actually funny, but he has a well-developed and fun character arc in his own right that is really refreshing once you pay attention to it.
Okay, I'm not gonna lie: this video was originally built on the concept of him being the end example, but I thought it wasn't quite as conclusively the best as the mirrors portion, so I decided to hold my praise for him off until... another project
@@JustStopLooking forward to it!
“They’re not a brand”?
Then how come you classified Shaymin as a mascot character when Pikachu is literally right there?
Also, I think most of these examples have a common term called ‘sidekicks’ while others are literal Chekov guns.
I was looking for a "sidekicks" comment, and I agree. There is a difference between actual sidekicks, like Dug or Bing Bong and clumps of characters like the Toy Story aliens or Minions.
They were the mascot sidekick character of the movie they were in
I reallly hate how wish made the star into a marketable plushie instead of making him a twink with a cute romance with asha( also the removal of the double villain couple)
The suits changing the movie constantly really did just decide to make every single possible wrong decision imaginable, huh?
@@RJS2003 they had one job and they decided they had to use the clown makeup during it
Granted, if they did, they would have just made him a token love interest. What I WANTED to see was him and Asha growing closer.
We were ROBBED, man!
It's really weird because I mean they have Valentino hes also marketable.
How dare you not cry about Bing Bong's sacrifice!
It's not even that he didn't cry about it that pisses me off, it's that he found Bing Bong's character as "just a mascot character that sucks" but he was legitimately well-written.
@@TheUnmitigatedDawn Well yeah, that is what made many cry for him too.
The best "mascot character" for me is Dimple from Mob Psycho 100
I agree
Yes
I think Kyubey from Madoka Magica is a pretty good example of a mascot done right
Couldn’t think of a better mascot for madoka magica it absolutely fits
“I didn’t tear up when Bing Bong died”
so you have chosen… death
No, no, no, even better…. “He choose… poorly.”
Chopper form One Piece is a great mascot character.
His character arc is about carrying on the will of his mentor, and it's no surprise that Chopper's debut arc in One Piece is all about one of the series' core concepts, being inherited will.
And it's not like Chopper becomes dead weight after his debut arc, there are many times in the series where he has to push his own boundaries or take a stand against someone who's very existence shits all over his ideals or his friends(think Dr. Hogback and Queen).
One Piece would literally not be One Piece if it Chopper wasn't there, so I think someone like him would belong in the top tier of your video.
@@J-Wolf17FTW Even when his design changed post-timeskip to fit a more “kawaii” mascot aesthetic, he was still able to contribute.
You think copper is a mascot character?
@@xxkankala1671 He's voiced by the same Japanese VA as Pikachu, Morgana, and Vivi from Final Fantasy. How is he not a mascot????
I love how that Danganronpa clip had an appearance of the previous avatar
Can despicable me really be called a cinematic universe? It’s just four films and 2 (soon 3) films in a spin-off series.
for some reason everybody uses " cinematic universes " as a word that replaced another word which is " franchise "
Yeah a real cinematic universe is typically a collection of mostly unrelated stories that still take place in the same universe and sometimes might interact.
considering they appear in literally every illumination film's intro, including one which was a co-production, yeah, kinda
There’s gonna be like 50 Mega Minion movies coming soon according to Steve Carell
@@CubeytheawesomeI think that was a joke
She mascot on my character till I suck
*Loud incorrect buzzer*
You what?
she suck on my character till i mascot
she suck on my character til i mascot
Wort wort
Persona 3 excels with it's two mascots, Aigis and Korumaru, as not only are they fleshed out characters, even if one is just a normal dog, but both are integral to the main's plot themes of finding meaning in life, especially Aigis.
Normal dog? Excuse you, Koromaru is an _exceptional_ dog.
Koromaru is the bestest boi
Now's a good excuse for me to bring up Gizmo from the Gremlins films. The entire franchise relies on the rules of owning a Mogwai by not exposing them to bright lights, water, or feeding them after midnight.
When said rules are broken, Gizmo would get bullied by Gremlins, leading him to finally put a stop to their shit whether he'd incinerate one through sunlight, or turn into Rambo and light a mf on fire to protect his friends.
All while serving as a fucking adorable mascot character.
Well if you go to Japan, Minions are MUCH beloved there. Even the Universal Japan Park is loaded with them.
I'd say the Minions fits Japan's ideal kawaii mascots lol
Don't disrespect my boys Bing Bong and R2-D2
Also, how tf is Toad a mascot? When I think of Super Mario Bros I think of Mario
your rigth
7:13 HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT MY BOY MO.
Now where does the creeper fit into all this?
The creeper is the mob you think about when minecraft is thought bc it’s an original creation than skeletons and zombies who are common horror tropes
It sucks so much that Illumination turned Despicable Me into such a nothing, trash franchise. It started off with such an actually good movie, the first one. Second one was also good just started some trends I dislike.
The 2nd one is good too.
@@jacksondavies3595Thank you. The second film hate is really starting to get ANNOYING. I have no problem with the third or even the fourth film hate, but the second film hate is where I DRAW the line.
Honestly think the second minions movie is fine, somewhat underated even
It feels like whenever comic relief characters become mascots of their respective franchises, there's a big risk of them getting too much favoritism to the point of fans getting sick of them.
I actually have a mascot character that’s just this middle aged orange blob that’s basically zoned out.
Like Carl from ATHF without the temper.
The minions overstayed their welcome, especially when illumination kept adding on to the despicable me franchise.
I still hope those 50 mega minions movies come out, cause it would be better than anything by marvel or dc
Puss in Boots 2 is a very recent movie thay showed us there are people working at big studios who know how to properly tell a well thought out story with great characters. But it takes TIME and FREEDOM from the artists involved in them. Something that these studios seem very reluctant to allow, for some reason. Afterall, Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish was a box office and critical success
R2 D2 is probably the best Star Wars character. He constantly saves the main trio karma he's not there to be cute and has his own sense of urgency.
The best example I find is Anya from Spy x Family and her dog Bond :3.
Did you know the girl “Anya” is based off the Bond girl in “the spy who loved me?”
Anya works because she has an actual fleshed out personality and has good chemistry with literally everyone in the show. While her character is a bit static and she doesn't really change herself, she changes the people around her (mostly Loid, Yor and Damian). She's surprisingly far from being a one-trick pony
@@stevepensando2593 The creator said that he gave up in making something that he wanted and made a story that his editors wanted.
@@orangeslash1667 He never said that.
@@aurealproportions1917 th-cam.com/video/eCtnQgEkNrk/w-d-xo.html
The best mascot characters are one's that are not only easily recognizable, but have a timeless charm that can be enjoyed by anyone no matter the era. At best, you'll get stuff like Pikachu or Neco Arc. At worst, you get unintentional hate sinks like the Minions or that goat from Wish.
Was waiting to see where GIR would fit in the list, but I sadly don't have an answer
probably a separate catergory of "apart of main cast but more recognizable than the main character, mainly just comic relief sidekick but does have his moments, doesn't eat up too much of runtime with his gags and is overall quite good for a "mascot character"
I think the best written mascot character I have ever seen is King from The Owl House. Yes, he is cute cat/wolf thing with a skull head which is a perfect personification for the heartwarming horror fantasy story he is in, but he also gets developed just like any other character in the show, and just like everyone in the cast, it is revealed he is a very tragic character, and said experiences shape how he acts at the climax of the story.
the rabbids are a weird case of franchise parasites where they essentially just became they’re own franchise and eventually with the mario + rabbids games they became mostly their own thing and actually made them actual characters instead of just mascots
The star in Wish should have been a humanoid love interest like originally proposed instead of a mascot.
Bing Bong is more of a side character instead of a mascot considering there was no marketing on him. He may seem somewhat annoying to you and some people, but not everyone thinks he's annoying.
Plus he is Riley's imaginary friend who soon learns that Riley is growing up and that he can't be with her forever.
His sacrifice really touched a lot of people's heart because of the lesson that came with it and I'm sorry if it didn't touch yours or anything else's heart.
Woody Woodpecker is probably the most underrated mascot that sadly got taken away by the Minions.
I'm not saying the Minions are terrible, I still love them, but I don't think they fit NBCUniversal that well as that crazy bird.
Frankly, even with the lesser cartoons and the live action movies, Woody Woodpecker deserves more of a chance to shine. Otherwise he’ll just be remembered for AVGN.
@@Hecuba107 Actually, he did get kinda relevant online around 2021-22. I remember seeing that "Excellent Food" meme.
@@kootunesscrewy Right, I forgot that Brazil is still keeping Woody Woodpecker alive.
I remembered visiting Universal Studios Japan in 2009, and seeing Woody Woodpecker everywhere. Make sense, since Woody is to Universal what Mickey is to Disney.
Yeah, I kinda hate how they just put him to the sidelines to make the Minions their mascot. I honestly wanted WB to buy the character and do something with him since it was clear he's no longer the face of Universal, but after the 'Coyote vs. Acme' fiasco I'm sort of having second thoughts
Illumination is really ahead of the curb when it comes to appealing to the IPad babies.
There movies are meant to show funny short segment and gimmicks that can not only be clipped and easily shared to market the movie, but hold the attention span of children.
I feel like Illumination would do better if they did a tv show adaption of Despicable me. 3 & 4 do seem like actual episodes, only difference is length.
Koromaru will always be my favorite mascot
Cause he's literally just a dog, he's not a weird simp like Teddie or Morgana, he is very literally a dog who only says woof and I love him. Best written Persona character
The biggest problem with Despicable Me 4 for me was that I was actually looking forward to the Minions coming back onscreen, as other than Megamind & Modern Family woman's scenes, as well as the opening & ending, NOTHING about the main plot was funny. Then again, I am a fan of the Minions, but I do understand the complaints about their characters.
I actually hope that time loop thing brought up as an explanation as to why nobody has aged is the plot point for the 5th film.
Would be pretty insanee
@@Cubeytheawesomethat’d be a wild ending but illumination would never have the balls to do it, the Minions is to them what SpongeBob is to Nickelodeon.
8:43 Evangelion reference detected. Yes I am obsessed.
I can't believe you didn't include Beemo 😭
The God tier example here, BMO transcends mascot status. Ending as the meta narrator for all of adventure time.
People either love them or want to curb stomp them
You didn’t cry when Bing Bong died? Monster.
12:57 The word you’re looking for is “agency”
I feel like you're mixing up actual side characters and sidekicks with the more commercially viable "mascots" here.
Pikachu is def the most powerful mascot
Disappointed that my GOAT Pikachu didn’t make it into the video.
Me: Pfff... He ain't gonna show Monokuma... (The Best One)
Just Stop: Shows Monokuma 2 minutes in a half into the video.
Me: ! 👀
Bong bong is a great character ,i Will die on this hill
Come at me haters!!!
Finally someone else who appreciates Morgana
Yes! I like Morgana
@@egg_l0rd13 Fun Fact He's played by the same Japanese VA as Pikachu, Chopper, and Vivi from Final Fantasy.
The English actor for Morgana also played Sothis from Fire Emblem, and Kyubey from Madoka Magica.
Talk about type casting.
This is the first time I’m hearing someone hate Bing Bong
I honestly blame SpongeBob for this trend. Before that the annoying characters in animation tended to be one off or side characters. Now it's always one of the main ones to appease to the brainrot they've spread for 3 decades
Yeah, but early SpongeBob was actually decent. There's a stark contrast between silly and loveable and annoying and blatantly ignorant, or else Goofy wouldn't work in the early Disney cartoons.
@@Fangzaprika Sponge Bob was originally suppose to end at the movie, but Nick said NOPE.
Spongebob was far from the first annoying main character in animation, that had been a trope for decades before him. Just look at Daffy Duck. Or Woody Woodpecker. Even if we fast forward to the 90's, the Warner Siblings predate Spongebob too.
I don't know how calculated an edit this was, but
talking about The Minions as a franchise parasite while Rayman music is playing in the background isn't lost on me. Rabbids being promoted from a threat en masse for a game into their own media-engulfing entity and completely overshadowing the franchise they came from did the boy dirty.
They have two games with Mario. Rayman is the DLC.
It's a funny juxtiposition.
While I do enjoy the Rabbids, I do agree they should be side dish, rather than the main course (Rayman and maybe Globox)
I wouldn't exactly call the Toad from the Super Mario Bros Movie a mascot. He's more of a comic relief character. I think most people still think of Mario when they think of the face of the Mario Movie. Though who knows? Maybe Illumination will change that over time like they did with the Minions. Hopefully that doesn't happen.
I think Jiji from Kiki Delivery Service might be a good example of a mascot character. While he is mostly there for comic relief, he doesn't take over the story and actually adds to kiki's character development after he "loses" the ability to talk and even starts getting a life of his own, separate from Kiki.
Rocket Racoon is so well written character that people sometimes don't see him as a mascot
I think it's easy to sum up mascots done well by pointing out that nearly every beloved animated character made in the 80's and 90's was effectively a mascot character. They don't need to be mindless and one-note, thrown around without a care.
Owlhouse is a wonderful example of having mascots across the spectrum but done in a way that you really don't mind them being there, they contribute to the story, or with King being the best example, transitions from urgency to mirror as he becomes the living embodiment of change and growth for the world in the end.
I stopped paying attention to the DM franchise when the Minions movie came out.
Seems like I made the right call. From the sound of it, Illumination Entertainment fell off in general. I mean, aside from Mario anyway but Mario only worked because Nintendo was so strict with it.
They’re like the one huge entertainment company against AI, why are you complaining.
@@CubeytheawesomeI mean their movies aren't really good
I feel Like Bing Bong is NOT prevalent enough to be the *mascot* for Inside Out.
I work at a movie theater and half of the people going to see Despicable Me 4 call it Minions. They’re not even a mascot for the franchise, they’re THE franchise.
If they actually do those 50 Mega minions movies, that would be the funniest thing ever
Gotta admit, was not expecting Giritina and the Sky Warrior to get slight mentions. Anyway, I do agree. Marketable, mascot type characters can work very well when they're treated as more than just a consistent unfunny punchline or when the fact they are here to sell toys isn't obvious. Mascots who are required for the media to work throughout the media's duration should always be the way to go.
It really is such a shame that a pokémon with a status like Shaymin, a powerful Mythical pokémon, has been permanently associated with its subpar role in that movie. Even worse that it's not the last time it'd happen...
_(Sounds of hoop portals opening in the distance.)_
Mythicals in general feel very tacked on. Especially with the removal of in-game encounters. At least Gamefreak are bring them back in recent games.
@@RJS2003don’t disrespect hoppa like that
I've never seen the movie. What's so annoying about shaymin? Is it like a "tries way too hard to be cute they end up being sickeningly sweet" kind of annoying?
@@anonymouslucario285 More like "Spoilt obnoxious, annoying brat who everyone puts up with for some reason and never gets called out."
Stitch can be consider as a mascot? He's a comic relief, is really cute and there's a lot of plushes of him plus the alien is a meet and greet character in Disney parks. I like Stitch! He's not annoying unlike the Minions 🥰
Gurgi and Hei-hei the chicken are both ugly, not funny and so annoying! Nothing about them is interresting or cute. I hate them!
I love Gurgi and Hei-hei! :)
that’s a mascot whether it’s annoying or not (I find him annoying)
1:32 wasn’t expecting this one-
Also some mascots I like others
*I wanna burn.*
Out of all things, I never expected Homestar Runner to be a high example in this department. (Trust me, he IS a good example)
sorry sir this is America i can do whatever i want and i choose not to go to court
Some examples of good mascot characters
Servbots - Mega Man Legends
Anya - Spy x Family
Gir - Invader Zim
Rabbids - Mario + Rabbids
Unikitty - The Lego Movie
Slime - Dragon Quest
Prinny - Disgaea
No Face - Spirited Away
Man that Unikitty show was fucking amazing
@@Cubeytheawesome Unikitty was a gem.
No Face is a mascot?
@@sonicfanboy3375 In a way, yes. He is one of the most iconic characters in Spirited Away and Ghibli.
Bing Bong slander will NOT be tolerated
I would push back that characters like MO, Bing bong, and Toad don’t really fit the criteria of mascot characters because the leads in their respective movies were intended to be the most marketable aspect. Mario and WALL·E are clearly the mascots AND the leads. Mo, BB, Toad are made to be cute and funny, sure but they’re still intended as supporting characters
I feel Plank from/with Ed Edd n' Eddy is an example of a good franchise mascot (and not just because I'm an obsessive fanwork creator for that show)
Not one the main characters, doesn't even talk or move much, and isn't even a cutesy design or character at all(he's actually really snarky when analyzing his dialogue that he passes on to Jonny), yet iconic as all Hell without being overbearing or annoying
That blue ameboae thing from Disney's Strange World is like, the only passable character in the thumbnail, and that's just because it wasn't tarnished by further sequels and shorts like Olaf and the Minions and thanks to the movie bombing it might not get a chance to
Rabbids too but those were kinda mid in the beginning, got worse over time and only recently became something actually likeable, in short bursts though
Tony Tony Chopper proves that being small and funny doesn't mean you're not human, don't have feelings, or even that his past is difficult.
I find it funny that the higher up on the list these characters got, the less marketable they became, obviously thats not 100% true because Mushu was insanely popular as marketing material with toys and what not but the others really dont have that, especially ones like the Box Trolls or Perito, I dont know if Perito has a ton of merch but if he does then he has significantly less of it compared to Puss and Kitty at least where I live, Morgana is another example, he doesnt even have a major figure of his own as far as I know, where as every single other phantom thief member, including the two from royal have one or often times multiple, morgana has plushies but from being in the persona fandom for so long the figures are usually the more important things, it's hilarious and a little ironic that the more depth a mascot character has and by proxy the more of a real character in the story they become, the less marketable they end up being as a mascot. great video!
Would you say Shaymin is your least favorite pokémon?
One example of a great Mascot that Braxton didn’t mention that I think deserves dissection is The Transformers. The cartoons always focus on the Transformers (specifically both sides of the conflict) and treat them all as characters, while the movies (with two obvious exceptions) almost always portray them as afterthoughts to their own films, instead relegating them to what feels like background noise while the human characters take most of the screen time, depriving the Cybertronians character depth and making them feel like cardboard cutouts until the movie swaps them out with trained stuntmen for the big action sequences. The two movies that treat both the Autobots and Decepticons like actual characters coincidentally are the best Transformers movies, being the 1986 “The Transformers: The Movie”, a tie-in film to the animated series of the same name, and 2018’s “Transformers: Bumblebee”, a film that copied the homework of “The Iron Giant” and reskinned it to be about Bumblebee.
I do recommend watching the 2 movies I referenced, as they are fun to watch and they treat the Transformers as actual characters.
Rocket Raccoon is a better mascot character than Groot. ...Don't let him know I called him that...
My favorite mascot characters are Plue & Happy from Hiro Mashima's works.
I think Iggy from jjba does this so well because while no he isnt the face you think of when you think jojo he is the character of part 3 who is more like a jobro then kakyoin .
Would the Chao be considered mascot “characters”? If so, the Wisps could also be taken into account, though they were seemingly phased out.
Minions could have been reused as actual threat in the films but I feel like they forgot the real reason the minions existed in the despicable me film for
The heavy in tf2 is probably my favorite mascot character of all time
There is no way you just made a whole video about mascots and didn't mention the mascots of the highest grossing media company of all time Pikachu
With that Steve Carrel ad for Despicable Me 4, I thought they were becoming self-aware and were going to go a fun deconstructionist route with that franchise and the minions... They sometimes do it from the brief bits I've seen from them, but only sometimes. I've never watched any of their movies, all what is it, like 9 movies between Despicable Me, Minions, and that villain offshoot that I think was played by Trey Parker. I don't know, I just remember Trey Parker was in one of these movies for his daughter... I really don't remember or know much about this franchise.
They should actually do that. I’d watch it. Also it would be hilarious.
I love illumination’s shitposts. I wish some of their films could be a bit more mature so they weren’t as hated
@@Cubeytheawesome I was reviewing Bluey on IMDB and was commenting how MATURE the jokes were, they weren't crass or innuendo laden. They were just smarter jokes than the show's key audience would catch on. Puns, play on words, adult subject matters like taxes, etc. You can be mature without crudity.
It's like "A Monster Calls", one of my favorite kid's movies, I mean I was like 24 when I saw it, I think, with my mother, and was blown away with how mature this movie was. A boy's mom is not going to make it due to advance cancer, he's not taking it well. So through out the movie, a giant Tree monster tells him a story and the fourth story the boy has to come up with or be devoured by the monster. The stories the monster tells are great, they're morally ambiguous and don't have a right answer. LOVE THAT MOVIE. Highly recommend it, it's mature since it doesn't insult the intended age's intelligence. Spoiler, there isn't a happy ending, mom doesn't magically get cured, but she's merely the catalyst to the whole thing to begin with.
A mascot character can work if there is some charm to them and they don’t overstay their welcome.
The best mascot characters are the ones like Roger Smith and Tina Belcher that weren’t necessarily made to be mascot characters but earned the mascot status by being the best characters in the show.
Roger is in the top 5, Either Steve or Klaus is the best.
When I was a kid, I found Doug from Up to be funny. As an adult, I appreciate the character arc he went through and while you brought up some good points about Morgana, I do think Doug is the better mascot character.
Even as a huge fan of the Rabbids growing up. I do understand why Rayman fans resented them for stealing the spotlight.
You know those jokes about the Minions serving a certain dictator fail to take account that the Minions got most of their masters killed. Like if they served that certain dictator, WWII would’ve been made much easier for the allies.
"whatever else you can stick their faces on"
i'm getting minions tamps flashbacks
idk if those are real but I remember that vid
I don't care if you disagree, Hei Hei was one of the best parts of Moana. Me and my family love that chicken.
K
2:52 wasn't expecting that joke. Thanks dude, it brightened my day