Editing Mascot (section)

==History==
It was sports organizations that initially first thought of using animals as a form of mascot to bring entertainment and excitement for their spectators.<ref>{{cite news |author=Doug Criss |title=Here's why college football teams use live animals as mascots |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/02/us/college-football-live-mascots-explainer-trnd/index.html |work=CNN}}</ref> Before mascots were fictional icons or people in suits, animals were mostly used in order to bring a somewhat different feel to the game and to strike fear in rival teams.

As time went on, mascots evolved from predatory animals, to two-dimensional fantasy mascots, to finally what we know today, three-dimensional mascots. Stylistic changes in American [[puppetry]] in the mid-20th century, including the work of [[Jim Henson]] and [[Sid and Marty Krofft]], soon were adapted to sports mascots. It allowed people to not only have visual enjoyment but also interact physically with the mascots.

Marketers quickly realized the great potential in three-dimensional mascots and took on board the costumed puppet idea. This change encouraged other companies to start creating their own mascots, resulting in mascots being a necessity amongst not only the sporting industry but for other organisations.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |title=What is a Mascot? {{!}} National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum |url=https://www.bobbleheadhall.com/whatisamascot/}}</ref>