Great mascot costumes often become cultural icons, but there is one that leads the pack – the world’s most popular mascot, the mighty bulldog. More organizations have a bulldog mascot than any other type. It’s been used to represent several things, from branches of the military to colleges, to even entire countries. That should come as no surprise, as according to the American Kennel Society, French bulldogs ranked as America’s second most popular dog breed in 2020. But why has this breed become one of the world’s most popular mascot costumes?
In 1890, Yale University decided that a bulldog mascot was the best representation of their school’s core values and beliefs, and nearly 20 generations later, ‘Handsome Dan’ is still donning Yale’s colors. Since then, thousands of high schools, colleges, companies, and organizations have agreed that the bulldog best represents their core values, too. But what core values do these hearty canines represent?