This mascot trivia quiz has 70 free questions with answers and covers the fuzzy, feathered and cartoon characters that sell cereal, cheer on teams and warn about forest fires. It takes in sports mascots (the Phillie Phanatic, San Diego Chicken, Mr. Met, Gritty), advertising icons (Tony the Tiger, the Michelin Man, Smokey Bear, Ronald McDonald), live college mascots (Uga, Bevo, Handsome Dan) and Olympic and World Cup mascots. A dedicated NFL mascot trivia section runs through the league's costumed characters: K.C. Wolf and the horse he replaced, the Ravens' three raven brothers, Staley Da Bear, Sir Purr's live-ball blunder, Steely McBeam's bourbon-flavoured name, Major Tuddy, Rowdy, T-Rac, Captain Fear, Rampage, Thunder, Gumbo, Billy Buffalo, Swoop's Ace Ventura cameo and the Pat Patriot logo. Questions range from easy (which cereal Tony the Tiger sells) to expert (which mascot was in the Mascot Hall of Fame's first class), and every answer is backed by a cited sentence from Wikipedia or an official team page.
30 of 70 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01The word 'mascot' comes from a French word meaning what?
Lucky charm
'Mascotte' was popularised by an 1880 French opera of that name.
Q 02The Phillie Phanatic is the mascot of which baseball team?
The Philadelphia Phillies
The green creature debuted in 1978 with a party-horn tongue.
Q 03According to his backstory, the Phillie Phanatic hails from which Pacific archipelago?
The Galapagos
His mother, Phoebe Phanatic, occasionally joins him on the field.
Q 04The San Diego Chicken, played by Ted Giannoulas, originated in 1974 as a promotion for what?
A radio station
Giannoulas was a 20-year-old journalism student when he first put on the suit.
Q 05Mr. Met is believed to be the first mascot in Major League Baseball to appear as what?
A costumed human
He came to life at Shea Stadium in 1964 with a giant baseball for a head.
Q 06Gritty, the wild orange creature introduced in 2018, is the mascot of which team?
The Philadelphia Flyers
He became an internet sensation within months of his debut.
Q 07Which cereal does Tony the Tiger promote?
Frosted Flakes
He has fronted the box since 1952.
Q 08Who provided Tony the Tiger's deep 'They're gr-r-reat!' voice for five decades?
Thurl Ravenscroft
He also sang 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch'.
Q 09The Michelin Man, made of stacked tires, has what proper name?
Bibendum
The name comes from a Latin phrase in Horace meaning 'now is the time to drink'.
Q 10The Michelin Man is notable as one of what?
The world's oldest trademarks still in use
He was introduced at the Lyon Exhibition of 1894.
Q 11Smokey Bear fronts the longest-running U.S. public service effort of what kind?
Announcement campaign
The character debuted in 1944.
Q 12A real bear cub became the living Smokey Bear in 1950 after surviving a fire in which state?
New Mexico
The cub had climbed a tree to escape the Capitan Gap fire and burned his paws.
Q 13Ronald McDonald lives in a fictional world called what?
McDonaldland
His friends include Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar and Grimace.
Q 14Chester Cheetah is the mascot of which snack brand?
Q 21Uga, a white English bulldog, is the live mascot of which university?
Georgia
Every Uga since 1956 has been owned by the Seiler family of Savannah.
Q 22Bevo, a live longhorn steer, is the mascot of which university?
Texas
The school's burnt orange and white colours come from the steer's colouring.
Q 23Handsome Dan, one of the first live college mascots, is a bulldog representing which university?
Yale
The title passes to a new bulldog when one dies or retires.
Q 24Traveler, a white horse ridden at home football games, is the mascot of which university?
Cheetos
The brand's original mascot was the Cheetos Mouse in the 1970s.
Q 15The Energizer Bunny was created as a parody of which rival battery mascot?
The Duracell rabbit
The Duracell drumming bunny's U.S. trademark had lapsed by 1988, giving Energizer an opening.
Q 16The Kool-Aid Man is famous for entering a scene by doing what?
Smashing through walls
He then shouts his catchphrase, 'Oh, yeah!'.
Q 17The Pillsbury Doughboy, whose real name is Poppin' Fresh, reacts how when his belly is poked?
He giggles happily
The belly-poke gag ran from 1965 to 2005.
Q 18The Jolly Green Giant sells what kind of products?
Canned & frozen vegetables
His home is 'the Valley of the Jolly Green Giant', based on the Minnesota River valley.
Q 19Morris the Cat, 'the world's most finicky cat', advertises which brand of cat food?
9Lives
He is a large orange tabby tomcat.
Q 20Geoffrey the Giraffe was the mascot of which toy store chain?
Toys R Us
He was introduced in 1965 as the brand's 'spokesanimal'.
USC
The horse also appears in the Rose Parade.
Q 25Brutus Buckeye, the mascot of Ohio State, is an anthropomorphic what?
Nut
A buckeye is the nut of the Ohio state tree; Brutus debuted in 1965.
Q 26The first official Olympic mascot, a rainbow-coloured dachshund named Waldi, appeared at which Games?
Munich 1972
An unofficial skiing character named Schuss had appeared at Grenoble in 1968.
Q 27The World Cup mascot trend began with 'World Cup Willie', a lion, at which tournament?
England 1966
He was one of the first mascots tied to a major sporting event.
Q 28Colonel Harland Sanders founded which fast-food chain?
KFC
The first franchise opened in Utah in 1952; in old age he publicly slammed the gravy as 'slop'.
Q 29The Harrison/Erickson firm designed the Phillie Phanatic after which team inspired the Phillies?
The Padres and their chicken
That inspiration was the San Diego Chicken.
Q 30At its peak, roughly what number of full-time Ronald McDonalds performed at restaurants?
As many as 300
Each performed at local McDonald's outlets.