Reason for your mascot??
 

I was just reading the thread on finding good mascot stuff and I was wondering why everyones GLO have the mascot/symbol they have?
AGD's Mascot and Symbol are the same thing. Our Symbol and Mascot are the grey squirrel, BUT-the official Mascot is Skirious (I know I spelled it wrong!), which means "shady tail". The squirrel is our mascot and symbol b/c it is industrious, resourceful, hard working and intelligent-and that is what every sister of AGD is and should be!!! I love the meaning behind the squirrel and I am ooo proud to have it, even though it is a pain to find good Squirrel stuff!!

The giraffe is AEPhi's mascot because it's the animal with the biggest heart.

To add to Katey's post about our beloved Skiouros...here's an explanation given by IHQ--

The mascot of Alpha Gamma Delta is the squirrel. The name Skiouros (Skee-your-os) combines two Greek words meaning "shady" and "tail." The mascot was chosen by the Gamma chapter and this explanation of the squirrel's selection appeared in a 1915 publication:

"In the days when Gamma first made the triple colors of red, buff, and green her own, some of her energetic number sought a mascot to symbolize the characteristics of the colors and progress of Alpha Gamma Delta.

In the autumn tints, so beautifully dear to us in our song of that name, they received the suggestion, and the little squirrel, typical frequenter of autumn haunts, was chosen as the mascot...

Our little friend, we find, is also nimble and agile--he leaps from branch to branch and accomplishes much progress...to symbolize the spirit that never dies, the spirit of energetic alertness and progress."

**Too bad there aren't any squirrels here in Hawaii! I have yet to see my first real, live one!**

Theta's the kite but whoops i can't tell you why

Thanks for the addition to what I was trying to say!!! You need to come to Michigan, Sandy!! Squirrels are EVERYWHERE!! They are actually a nuisance to most ppl....but of course not AGD's!!! I can't tell you the amount of times I have almost hit one driving!! Now if that wouldn't be a bad sign, I don't know what is!!!

There was one squirrel in my neighborhood that was gray with a white tail. :)

My local's is the butterfly. I think its because the founders just liked butterflies.

Mascot
 

Most AOII's use the panda as our mascot because it is the only animal with no natural enemies. I always thought that this was a wonderful fact and good reason to adopt the panda as our mascot. :)

Sarah

ADPi's mascot is the Lion and our Jewel is a diamond...Don't know why a lion is our mascot lol (sad huh?) but remember, diamonds are a girlies best friend! =)
Toodles.

The lion can't fully be explained because it is revealed at initiation. Sir Fidel comes from our open motto, les soeurs fideles. We don't have a gemstone, but our other symbol is the quadrefoil.

ZTA's strawberries became our symbol after one of our founders received strawberries as a gift form someone.
Our five point crown....heh heh...that's a secret. :)

We didn't use to have a mascot until this sister named Jane and her boyfriend Jim created one called Al Fuzzie (Alpha Xi, get it?). Later on it was changed to BetXi Bear for reasons I'm not entirely clear on. But you can still see Al Fuzzie around, better known as Fonzie Bear ... Jim's last name was Henson. :)

Delta Zeta's mascot is the turtle, because she has to stick her neck out in order make progress! :D

Hooty Hoot Hoot - ours is the owl! For wisdom and scholarship!

For AOII, we have absolutely NO official reason for our mascot, the panda, but I like to say because it is so unique. It's also pretty cute, and thank goodness there is so much good stuff out there!

I also think that by chosing an endangered species as our mascot we increase awareness. For example, I know our alumnae chapter in Atlanta is very involved with the pandas at ZooAtlanta.

D Phi E's mascot is the unicorn because it is unique, I think.

Whenever I think of AOPi- I think more of the red rose. That was their big symbol on our campus.. is it everywhere else too?

Pi Phi's symbol is the upward pointing arrow, which of course can't be explained. :( Our mascot is the angel. This is what our national website says about why we chose the angel.

"Fraternity history indicates that songs about Pi Phi angels became popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s, and that skits depicting Pi Phis as angels were often used in rush. Angel collections are popular among many Pi Phis. The Founders did not choose the angel as a fraternity symbol; however, it is a worthy unofficial symbol of Pi Beta Phi."

Besides Hannah, our official mascot/symbol is the Anchor, symbolizing hope. Our original pin was an "H" for hope, but was later changed to the anchor.

xo_sue,

yes the rose is used in all AOII chapters. We do not have a crest and where other organizations would display their crest we display the rose. This is what the website says:

The Nineteenth Century French rose, General Jacqueminot, a deep red rose, was chosen as the flower of Alpha Omicron Pi because its color is the symbol of the central and essential virtue of the Fraternity. Its choice had no connection with any legend, poem or story. This strong red rose, with its overtones of courage and vigor, was selected for its richness of color and fragrance, combines with softness and modesty of bearing. The Jacqueminot Rose is not available at most florists, so any deep red rose which is available may be used.

The Panda, while not official, is considered our mascot by both the chapters and the fraternity, and as pandarose said it's partly because it is the animal with no known enemies.

Rattle snake offically. IHQ suggests that if we need further identifaction we can use an eagle. Some chapters use a bull or ox.

Alpha Phi Omega uses the Golden Eagle. It symbolizes strength, gracefulness, keenness of vision, and endurance.

Aww, FuzzieAlum, I was hoping I'd be the first to tell the Henson story! Our flower is the pink Killarney rose, which was chosen by the founders because it complimented the white rose of Sigma Nu. Some chapters use the Fuzzie (which really isn't a definable thing) as a mascot, but my chapter does not. We haven't used it since the seventies. The quill is our badge and it was chosen with the motto, "The pen is mightier than the sword."

Actually his name is Fozzie.:)

This is always a fun topic to explain during recruitment. Now apparently, just about every Tri Sigma chapter except Alpha has phased out the skull and crossbones. Guess we're a bunch of freaks ;) Seriously though, even though some of us are not crazy about the skull and crossbones, there's no denying that it's on the sorority's badge. Our open motto is "faithful unto death" and the skull and crossbones was chosen to symbolize it.

Our local symbol/mascot is the butterfly, and we say it means eternal friendship.

SSS1365-

The Tri-Sigs here still use it. I think. I know my friend has it sewn onto the sleeve of her sweatshirt

Sorry! Maybe you can explain why a bear rather than something else, because I have no idea why they picked a bear instead of a giraffe or unicorn or dolphin.

Cream, you're right it is the unicorn, but that's not the reason why. I don't know if it's a secret or not.

For Reasons unknown to me, still trying to find the right history behind it, our mascott is Taz, don't ask why a fraternity from 1847 has a mascott from the 60's cause i don't know, but who cares cause taz rules. Find me one person who doesn't like taz, you can't can you? :)

Whoops! I know that it's a unicorn, but I don't remember why. I'm a BAAAD alumna. :o

The members of TEKE's at my school used Taz as their mascot too-

I'll send you a couple of Vancouver's... prolific... black squirrels. I'd never seen a black squirrel before moving up here, and when I saw one, I screamed and ran the other way. :D

Sigma Kappa's symbols are the heart and the dove...don't really remember why. My chapter uses the snake as our symbol, no reason to that either.

Isn't the snake on your coat of arms?

The meaning behind our mascot, the Black Persian Cat with Gold Eyes, and our sorority symbol is for Hermanas only. ;) But I must say, it was fun and interesting to read about the meaning behind mascots and symbols of organizations that were able to share them. :D

One question though just out of curiosity, how do you forget or not know the meaning behind the symbols that represent your organization? I would be shocked and appalled if an Hermana "forgot" or didn't know (:eek: not even a remote possibilty:eek: ) the meaning behind our symbols. Honestly, how do you proudly wear and/or display your symbols if you can't remember what they represent and why your Founders (members, others) chose them? I'm not trying to start any drama, I'm just curious as to why and how that is possible. :confused:

Anyone?

Maybe because
Fuzzie Wuzzie was a bear,
Fuzzie Wuzzie had no hair,
Fuzzie Wuzzie wasn't very fuzzy was he?
:) I always loved that rhyme
Sarah

I'm surprised that I'm the first one to be posting this fact (Come on AX'S!) but Alpha Chi Omega's symbol is the lyre, a harp like instrument from ancient Greece. It was the first instrument played on Mt Olympus by the Gods, and as some of my friends have recently told me it was carried by Apollo. Anyway it was initially chosen because AXO was founded as a music interest sorority.

FuzzieAlum, I really don't know why the teddy bear was chosen. I had heard that the story was that our mascot was a teddy bear BEFORE Jim Henson created the muppets and then created Fozzie as sort of a tribute to his wife and her sorority.

As to people not knowing about their symbols, I can say that in Alpha Xi Delta's case, the teddy bear was not chosen by our founders. It was not even invented until the turn of the century, and we were founded in 1893. Therefore, it does not really hold any special meaning like other mascots. If it does, we were never taught to look at it that way. It's just a fun mascot.

As for people forgetting, I can say that not all chapters of a organization teach their information to their new members in the same way. Maybe more emphasis was put on something else in one chapter but was not in another. Also, maybe the people who have forgotten are older alumnae and naturally would forget things as they are now removed form the sorority atmosphere. I know that you are a member for life, but when you get out of school there are more important things you need to be remembering than what a certain animal represents to your sorority. If you're not active in that life anymore, I don't see it as such a tradgedy. It's ok to forget, you will always have sisters there to help you remember. I'm not trying to be rude, just throwing out possible reasons one might forget something.

Tri Sigma does not have a Mascot, but we do have a symbol. Our local chapters do not have mascots either (they claim they do, but they shouldn't) our National Symbol is the sailboat and it has much meaning. A past National President's son is a symbol of our Philanthropy, Robbie Page Memorial. The only picture of Robbie we have he's holding a sailboat, ie: the sailboat. Moving ever forward.
:)