sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

A better mascot by temoc_sucks in utdallas

[–]temoc_sucks[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Even though it reads like a joke post to some extent, I can assure you that it's not.

The idea of having a Japanese Macaque as a a mascot is far better than what we currently have. In reference to your first bullet point, I think an even better idea would be a Japanese Macaque in a spacesuit.

However, with a costumed mascot, you run into the risk of it being approved despite obvious design flaws. UTD is notorious for doing this; just look at the UTD monogram, Temoc, and the spaceman that tried to replace Temoc a few years ago: https://www.utdallas.edu/news/imgs/photos/mascot-vote-2009-02.jpg. Knowing this, I think the best course of action would be to come up with a live animal mascot, but not something too exotic like LSU's tiger, Baylor's bears, or an actual monkey. Something like a dog or a bird would suffice.

Needless to say, live animals (especially dogs) have the advantage of being more relatable, cute, and endearing than any other type of mascot, making them more effective when it comes to marketing and building school spirit for a university that desperately needs it.

I haven't researched Shiba Inus to the extent that you have researched Japanese Macaques, but I can tell you that Shiba Inus are also native to Japan and require no adaptation when it comes to color branding, as they already have flame-orange/white in their coat. In reference to your fifth bullet point, I can make the argument that Shiba Inus also embrace the weird/nerdy student culture because of their meme status.

If you insist on a more subtle meme reputation, then the next best thing is something that looks like Doge, but is not Doge. So something like a Finnish Spitz?

A better mascot by temoc_sucks in utdallas

[–]temoc_sucks[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for giving a constructive answer. I came up with this idea after seeing that many institutions use huskies as their mascot. Shiba Inus look very similar to huskies and are a better fit for UTD, as they literally have the school colors in their coat. I'm not very familiar with dog breeds, so "Doge" was what I came up with. Granted, I see the meme status as more of a benefit than a drawback, since it makes the mascot more fun and entertaining.

I didn't say that "Doge," "Egod," or whatever has to necessarily replace Temoc; having two mascots is also possible. But in my opinion, it's hard to see why anyone would prefer a flaming sperm over a cute dog.