Introducing Lulu
Lulu is a young rescue dog, just above the age of a puppy. I discovered her amidst a lot of other animal clipart files, and was drawn to her neutral, yet slightly sassy expression. Initially, I suspected she was an akita inu, but I’m now thinking she might be part malamute or shiba as well. Pure mutt?
Who cares? A dog is a good dog. She doesn’t bark much at all, unless something rather important happens, like an important cultural milestone or unsettling ecological tipping point. She has strong opinions about socialized healthcare and labor unions. She seems very interested in seeing the destruction of AirBnB and the gig economy in America, and supports a strong public transit infrastructure - very odd for a dog…
I often wonder if Lulu wasn’t human in a past life. Could she be humankin? Perhaps! She doesn’t like the smell of cigarettes, or credit scores. She dreams of a better world. Either way, it’s clear to me that, while young, Lulu has absorbed at least some of strange jaded optimism of this place. She talks a lot about the possibility of turning the tide against fascism in the West, for example.
Lulu wants to read theory, but can’t, because she’s a dog. Instead, her focus is praxis. Though usually found in the sidebar of this site, she also has a small dog house, as shown in the picture. I didn’t know when I picked her up from the clipart shelter, but she’s a fierce warrior by nature, too. While friendly by most accounts, she’s more than capable of attacking on command.
Why You Need A Mascot
Your site needs a mascot specifically because hardly any websites have mascots. It’s an amazing bit. Most websites, if anything, have a close association with a brand mascot (ie, the former Twitter chirper, RIP). These corporate mascots usually have no personality and do nothing interesting. It’s not hard to do better than that with a real mascot. By that, I mean a mascot you’ve chosen or lovingly crafted to represent, protect and welcome visitors to your site, with a name, a distinct personality, and possibly even a backstory.
I’m (at least planning to) share more about my personal views regarding the web as an expressive medium. Choosing a mascot would be part of developing your online medium of expression. You will probably want a seamless connection between your message (your “content,” so to speak) and your visitor’s experience. That means a mascot that embodies the values, aesthetics, and purpose of your site.
Your mascot isn’t you, so you won’t be simply making a cute Picrew of your own face. Instead, try to summarize your site in character form. What do you want your site to be? What do you want your site to become? Who would be the best ambassador of these goals?
Choosing a Mascot
Animal mascots are popular for a reason. I highly recommend bringing in some kind of animal to guard your website. Humans have a visceral reaction to animal symbolism, and many people tend to anthropomorphize all creatures to some degree, from the smallest ant to the largest elephant. Pets like dogs and cats make great site mascots because almost everyone recognizes them as friendly, if only by body language. It can also be fun to choose an animal that has the potential for an interesting backstory.
Choosing a human mascot may be trickier. Firstly, people visiting your site might assume said mascot is a representation of you. They become a bit confused about exactly who owns the site. You can get past this by using an obvious character such as your favorite cyberpunk heroine. In this case, you might as well just make your mascot page a shrine for the character, and you don’t have to worry about a backstory.
You might also want to choose an anthropomorphic mascot. With this, you risk people assuming you’re part of a certain fandom, of course, and that may or may not be the impression you want to give. If you make it clear that the anthropomorphic character isn’t your fursona, and you’re not breaking anyone’s copyright, and you swear you’re not a furry, well, someone might believe you…
One way or another, make sure your visitors know that your mascot isn’t you, nor are they supposed to represent you. That would defeat the entire purpose of having a mascot guarding your site, after all. The idea is that you’ve got a fascinating little critter loose on your site to greet your visitors, since you can’t be there to do it personally. If the mascot is you, it breaks the metaphor completely.
Graphical Representation
You don’t have to create the graphic(s) that will represent your mascot all on your own. You can borrow from linkware sites, provided you follow their terms and conditions, or use public domain sources. You might use Dollz, Picrews, and similar pixelated customizable configurations help with this, though. These exist for furries, animals, humans of all art styles, etc. There are versions for many different characters.
If you happen across a set of freeware clipart with a particularly cute dog, cat, bird, fish, or dragon, perhaps you’ve found your mascot. The same might be true if you purchase a clipart set or have a subscription to a distribution service. My Lulu herself was a rescue dog from such a clipart set. True, she has some issues, but we’re working through them. And hey, you could even commission a friend to create a mascot for you, if you know any artists.
You can’t merely stop after selecting the shiniest pixels, though. If your mascot has no name or personality, they’re not much of a mascot at all. Bring those images alive. Who is this critter? What kind of personality do they have? What’s their star sign? A backstory can be fun, too, if you’re not using a preexisting character as your mascot. How did your mascot end up on the web? How did they end up on your page specifically? Why are they hanging out there? The list goes on.
Your mascot will, ideally, get their very own page on your website, a sort of miniature shrine, a bit like people make for video game and anime characters on neocities. You can add details about them there, as well as their picture(s), etc.