Symbols vs. Mascots
 

Phi Mu has both a symbol (quadrefoil) and a mascot (lion). Do most groups have both? I can only think of one or the other for a lot of orgs.

listed as symbol/mascot

AChiO: harp/?
AZD: quill/?
APhi: ivy leaf/teddy bear
AEPhi: ?/giraffe
DZ: lamp/turtle
KKG: key/?
PSS: sphinx/penguin
SK: heart/dove
SDT: torch/?
AGD: ?/squirrel
KD: dagger/?
ChiO: ?/owl
DDD: ?/dolphin
GPhiB: moon/?
SSS: sailboat/?
AOPi: ?/panda
DG: anchor/?
PBPhi: arrow/angel
KAT: kite/?
ADPi: ?/lion
DPhiE: ?/?
AST: ?/?
ASA: ?/?
TPA: ?/penguin
ZTA: crown/?

Correct me if any of these are wrong and/or only local.

I'm an AST. Our national mascot is the anchor! :)

AXD's mascot is the teddy bear... specifically, Al Fuzzy (created by Jim Henson) was adopted in the 70's and BetXi Bear was adopted in the late 80's or early 90's.

Alpha Sigma Alpha
Symbol: Ladybug
Mascot: Raggedy Anne

Delta Gamma's nation symbol is the Anchor and our mascot is Hannah (who is the perfect sister) - she's basically just like Raggedy Anne.

DPhiE's mascot is the unicorn. :)

Alpha Phi's symbol is the ivy leaf. Our mascot is "Phi bear".

I think most groups have both.

Tri Delta actually has quite a few symbols, and I'm not sure which is our most primary one:

Mascot: dolphin
Symbol: pine tree, trident, stars and crescent

AGD's mascot is the squirrel and, according to IHQ, the symbol is the fourteen pearls (although I've never really heard of it discussed as a symbol, just the jewel).

Kappa also has the owl. In fact, we had it first! ;)

WOW, DeltaBaby, impressive!!!:cool:


As far as I know, LXA has neither!

Hech of a jobTho!!!!!

As far as I know both the dove and heart are symbols of our sorority and we do not have a mascot.

Theta Phi Alpha:

symbol: compass
mascot: penguin (adopted in 1987)

:)

Actually, the panda is our unofficial (yet generally recognized) mascot. Our chapter had a local mascot (the unicorn) and recognized the panda as an international mascot. I think we had another Kentucky chapter (WKU maybe?) that used a kangaroo as their mascot. Talk about unique but hard to find!

Our symbol is our badge, and often in places where other GLOs may use a crest or shield you will see our rose.

Christin

Re: Symbols vs. Mascots
 

Very impressive that you know all that DeltaBaby; rock on.

The Sphinx is Phi Sigma Sigma's national symbol however we do not have a National Mascot; it varies from chapter to chapter.
I have heard the penguin being used pretty often. But my chapter Theta Mu, uses a Dolphin for aiming high when it jumps out of the water.
(Phi Sig's open motto is: Diokete Hupsala: Aim High!)

Greek Love,
Heather

As most people know, the Kappa Alpha Theta symbol is the kite. Some people might not know that another Theta symbol is twin stars. And unofficially, our mascot is the cat (or at least this is what I've heard).

Sarah

ADPi uses the Diamond as our symbol, and the lion as our mascot.

ASA's insignia (what a lot of groups call symbols) are the star, the crown, the palm tree and the phoenix. We really don't have an official national mascot but most chapters use Raggedy Ann or the ladybug. (RA is unofficial because of copyright issues)

The difference between symbols and mascots is that symbols have a deeper meaning, mascots are usually something cute that you can give in stuffed animal form. That's a huge generalization though.

You forgot Pi Phi...
symbot- arrow
unofficial mascot- angel
:)

No, I don't think I did.

Alpha Chi
 

AXO uses the Lyre (symbol) and the Angel (mascot).

For alpha chi, actually this kinda varies..... the lyre is our symbol, but mascot changes according to individual chapter. My chapter's symbol is the butterfly.

Re: Re: Symbols vs. Mascots
 

Exactly...like she said no mascot :(
My chapter uses a "charity bear" - bascially any teddy;at inish we give the new girls bears whose profits go towards charity.

Oops... i just looked at it again. I looked over it a bunch of times yesterday and i could not find it, which I thought was wierd. The way it was written, PBPhi, threw me off cause i've never seen it written that way. sorry

Gamma Phi Beta's unofficial mascot is the Gammy Bug, included in the 1947 edition of the Pledge Manual....

"The body of the bug bore more than a modest resemblance to the pin for new members, as it was shaped in a rounded triangular shape and decorated with a crescent. Extending from this body were two thin legs and two thin arms...and a round, smiling face with two antennae."

Could not have been stated better! :) Our chapter does not have a local mascot--we have 'boyfriend' (don't know why it's called that). It is the panda bear that was given to our chartering class 3 years ago.

But like Christin said, our symbol is our badge, and most often the rose.

I have never in my years as a Gamma Phi heard that one, but it's interesting and kinda cute! Do you have like a picture or anything of that because my little sis/roomie and I think it would be cute for our philanthropy day during recruitment!

Two years ago our new member educator sprung on us that our international mascot is a panda bear, but we never confirmed that, so we kind of dropped that.

A lot of Gamma Phi chapters have local mascots. Ours is the lamb (cheesy, I know, because we're the Delta LAMBda chapter..har har), and other chapters have the penguin, dolphin, etc.

My sister already corrected this, but...

Phi Sigma Sigma only has a symbol... the Sphinx.

Our chapter uses the Teddy Bear (since 71) and the Sunshine (99)

Chi O's owl is a symbol, not a mascot - at least that is what I know it as (Sisters, correct me if I'm off on this). The skull and crossbones is also our symbol. I say they are symbols, not mascots, because they are included on our crest and badge. As I go through this thread it seems that when people say "mascot" it is not something on a crest or badge, but an "extra" representative of the organization. Does that make sense?!?

Alpha Phi Omega
 

Alpha Phi Omega has no mascot, but has several symbols:

Jewel: Diamond
Tree: Sturdy Oak
Flower: Forget Me Not
Bird: Golden Eagle

The last three are sometimes refered to as our "Living Symbols".

While we don't have a national mascot, this does not stop chapters, sections or regions from having them. Ask APOers from Region III about Frank the Friendship Frog. Or visit his website: http://www.apo83.org/frank/

Hope this helps

I'm a member of Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority and I'll correct the first posted reply. Our national SYMBOL is the anchor but each chapter has the option of choosing a mascot. Some common ones are alligators, penguins, and butterflies. Our chapter's mascot is a bunny.

You are correct with ZTA. Our national symbols are the crown and strawberries and each chapter has it's own mascot. The Beta Psi chapter (Stetson Univ.) has the butterfly which was recently changed from the bunny ;).

and
Actually, the difference is that a symbol, whether included on a badge or coat-of-arms or not (although it often is) represents the organization, some fundamental tenet/value of the organization, or some aspect of the organization's history. As 33girl says, it has a deeper meaning.

A mascot, on the other hand, is basically a good luck charm. That is to say, a mascot is a person, animal or thing that brings good luck to the group. That is why colleges and university athletic teams not only have nicknames but also mascots (which may bear no discernable relationship to the nickname) that they bring onto the football field or basketball court at every game.

And Tom, of course Lambda Chi has a symbol. In my opinion (for what little it is worth), LCA's cross and crescent is one of the best and most distinctive Greek symbols around.

Leave it to MysticCat!!! :D

That's exactly what I meant about the owl but couldn't say so eloquently! I suppose then the owl could be a symbol AND a mascot, 'cuz I have some pretty cute stuffed owls! ;)

Hey GPhiAngel....I had never heard of the Gammy Bug before either until the new history books, The Legacy of Gamma Phi Beta came out this year. If you buy one or find someone who has one, the Gammy Bug is on page 30.

If I remember correctly, IHQ also states that--aside from the 14 pearls--the other official symbol of Alpha Gamma Delta is the annulet.

IMO, the annulet is very simple and pretty and it has an enormous amount of meaning for an Alpha Gam. I just wish that IHQ did a better job of publicizing that, because last year was the first I've ever heard of the annulet being an official symbol along the lines of a key, anchor, arrow and the like.

In addition to the sailboat, the skull and crossbones is also a symbol for tri sigma...it's on our badge!

Thanks for the correction. ;)

What is an annulet? Can you post a pic?

annulet- meaning "little ring" as stated by Webster's Dictionary.