The concept of mascot
A mascot is defined as an object (e.g. animal effigy) or animal, which is considered to bring luck to a team or an event and
possibly displayed as a symbol.
Mascots are widely used to represent a group of people who share a common identity, such as the students/alumni of an academic institution, the players and fans of a sports team, the members of an organization or even the buying public (for products).
The mascot does not necessarily always correspond to a real animal or object; it can be some imaginary creature, a
cartoon reproduction or an object with human qualities.
The etymology of the word mascot has its roots in the dialect of Provence, where it was used to describe anything that brought luck to a home. The word became popular in 1880, when the French composer Edmond Audran wrote a popular comic operetta entitled, La Mascotte. The operetta was so popular that it was translated into English as The Mascot, thus introducing into the English language a word for any animal, person or object that brings good luck. The word in this sense was subsequently adopted by many other languages.
How the mascot of the University of Cyprus was created
From January 16 – March 14, 2008, the Alumni Office collected the creators’ proposals for the University of Cyprus mascot contest. All submitted proposals were reviewed by the Alumni Affairs Council and the top three designs were submitted to a vote by the university community via the Alumni Office website within one month of the selection of the final designs.
The design chosen together with the two best ones were presented at a special event at the University of Cyprus and honorary prizes were awarded.
Presentation of the mascot
On May 27, 2008, the Alumni Office organized a party for the official presentation of the mascot in the Ceremony Hall of the University of Cyprus. The event included the awarding of the mascot design contest winners, an exhibition of all the designs submitted to the contest, and a party with food, drinks, and DJ music. The award was presented by the Dance Club of the University of Cyprus.
The major sponsor of the event was PricewaterhouseCoopers. Also sponsors were the MBA Program of the University of Cyprus, Coca Cola, and Shark energy drink. Communication sponsor was the newspaper “Politis”.
Click here to see the video of the mascot presentation:
| The mascot of the University of Cyprus: Sophia the bee |  |
| Sophia the bee plays taekwondo |  |
