mascot

[ mas-kot, -kuh t ]

/ ˈmæs kɒt, -kət /

an animal, person, or thing adopted by a group as its representative symbol and supposed to bring good luck: The U.S. Navy mascot is a goat.

Origin of mascot

1880–85; < French mascotte < Provençal mascoto talisman, charm, derivative of masco sorceress. See mask

The support of a mascot has confused Christianity and sports.

Sherman Alexie on His New Film, the Redskins, and Why It's OK to Laugh at His Work |William O’Connor |August 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Joe Camel: For about a decade beginning in 1987, Camel started to market its products using a mascot called “Old Joe.”

Big Tobacco’s Biggest Lies |Gideon Resnick |January 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
What if a Serb mortar team carried a little ginger cat as their mascot?

5 War Books You May Not Have in Your Library |Jake Tapper |November 11, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The fact is, the mascot may be the quiet kid sitting next to you in class with his head down.

Hulu is the New Netflix: Why You Should Watch ‘Behind the Mask’ |Anna Brand |October 30, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

I ended up starting a sub shop called the Cheba Hut “Toasted” Subs, and the camper van is our mascot.

Dude, Where’s My Bus? Fast Times in the Iconic VW Van |Scott Jennings |October 13, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Shouldn't you think that men's clubs might like to adopt boys, as a sort of mascot?

Dear Enemy |Jean Webster
He learned English and later joined an American division as a mascot.

Swamp Island |Mildred A. Wirt
It was a hideous tangle to owe itself to the joyous gambollings of the firemen's mascot dog.

The Honorable Senator Sage-Brush |Francis Lynde
The story of “The Mascot” is charmingly romantic, and much more consistent and coherent than the usual plots of the comic operas.

The Standard Light Operas |George Upton
But at the passing instant the mascot dog, leaping and whirling like a four-footed dervish, sprang backward.

The Honorable Senator Sage-Brush |Francis Lynde

mascot

/ (ˈmæskət) /

a person, animal, or thing considered to bring good luck

C19: from French mascotte, from Provençal mascotto charm, from masco witch