Mad Mascots: Trump!
Remember when I wrote about Bigg Mixx? I think we should turn that into a series. A series about mad mascots. There are many bewilderingly beautiful brand mascots deserving of short tributes and crudely assembled image collages, and it is my intention to give them what’s owed!
…let’s start with this guy. “Trump.”
Even if you don’t immediately recognize him, I can all but guarantee that you’ve seen Trump before. He’s Monster.com’s mascot, and if you can’t figure out the connection between an online job database and a bizarre, frog-like mutant, you’ve overlooked the obvious explanation: Trump is a monster.
(Credit: Noonan Creative Group, creators of Trump! But I added the splotches.)
My impulse is to describe him as “Slimer with legs,” but that says too little. He’s a green troll with purple trim, and orange bird feet, and pink stars, and oh yeah, a freakin’ horn for a nose. Considering these traits, I’m ashamed that I haven’t written about him sooner.
While admitting that my “research” was mostly limited to guesswork, I can’t figure out exactly when Trump debuted. I do know that he’s been around since at least 2001, and still appears on the lesser pages of Monster’s website today.
A mascot for an internet company with that much money behind it was not going to have any trouble making its mark, and indeed, Trump was everywhere. He’s appeared as a cartoon, a costumed character and even an enormous balloon.
For those reasons and more, Trump makes for one of the best possible Google image searches. Above are some of my finds, hopefully shrunk down to the point where the various photo owners will not hate me for being a robber.
I don’t know how anyone could see this spread and not immediately fall in love with the thing. He looks like Pokemon concept art, leaked by a disgruntled artist to make fans complain about the ones they got instead. I should also remind you that he has a HORN FOR A NOSE.
Everywhere I looked, there were another ten reasons to adore him. By the time I landed on YouTube and found this video of a GIANT BALLOON TRUMP threatening to eat other, smaller balloons, I knew I had the subject for my next tattoo.
I know it’s easy to write him off, because who wants to credit something as mundane as a job site for bringing us something this artsy-awesome? Well, it’s time to get over ourselves, because they did.
Since words are not enough to express my love for this beast, I drew up some fan art:
This isn’t about you, CAT.
God, my drawing talent halted in like, the second grade. That’s why I busted out the Mysterious Antique Frame. Nothing looks bad in the Mysterious Antique Frame.
Trump, I wuv woo.
I have a figurative cache of at least fifty other mad mascots to pay tribute to, so if you’re into this sort of thing, stay tuned.
Thanks Matt! Looking forward to reading more.
If this was a alternate Earth where everyone traveled in hot air balloons I would want mine to look like the Trump monster balloon.
Bring on more mad mascots!
This subject is very dear to my heart. Advertising logic is a personal obsession of mine. I spend a sickening amount of time thinking about these matters.
That said, I hate Trump. I don’t see what the hell he has to do with finding a j*b, at all. I understand that he’s representative of the Monster brand, in that he is a monster, but he lacks any connection to the point of the business. He’s as bad as the Geico cavemen and gecko in that regard.
I’m sorry, Trump. You’re cute, but I feel no connection to you.
“For those reasons and more, Trump makes for one of the best possible Google image searches.”
I tried this and all I got was this angry looking guy with a combover. Not sure why.
Rev: LOTS of mascots have nothing to do with their respective brands. What the hell does a tiger have to do with sugary cornflakes? What does a giant have to do with canned vegetables? What do little elves have to do with cookies? What does a dancing chicken have to do with San Diego OR Padres? I ask you.
Fair point, Carpeteria. I hate all those mascots too.
Except the Jolly Green Giant. He makes sense. He’s gigantic and green because of his nutritious, vegetable-based diet. No self-respecting tiger would ever eat corn flakes, though.
Amen what Rev 13 said about my man JGG
Are the purple things on his head horns or hair?Cause the Trump I’m used to does a Comb-over…
Disregard the above.Carpeteria got to the punchline first.
I refuse to admit that you don’t do abstract art on the side, for sale at small dying galleries. You have serious style! Our maybe it IS just the frame
This is treading dangerously close to obsessive fan site, the poor slob in the monster costume but watch himself or he’ll end up tied up in your basement and forced into a quick marriage ceremony, with shrunken apple head as stand in minister …
I will give you $8 for that can of Pepsi Holiday Spice. Will you take a 3rd party out of town check?
He looks like something from that “Monster Mash” game (or whatever it was called) from the early 90s. I think Matt did a review on it a few years ago.
Honestly, I’ve been to Monster.com a hundred times, and I never really noticed that fellow before. You’d think it would be impossible to miss a green monster with a horn nose.
Matt, you should totally do a tribute to the Pets.com mascot, that dog sock puppet whom I don’t believe has a name. I remember him quite fondly.
the reason geico has a gecko for a mascot is because in the very first ad they ever did they mad a joke about how there name sounds like gecko
he was suppose to use only once in that commercial but the commercial became popular so they decide to keep him
@Captain Redbeard: I only remember him getting pooped on quite fondly.
I’m sorry, the article’s title just made me think of a certain rubber-headed dog puppet.
The plush version is okay, but the rest — I had to page down to get away from those awful pictures. Looks just like something a big stupid company would come up with.
It seems my pal Trump has his share of fans and haters. Personally, I’d trade my car for that full-body Trump suit.
meh I dislike anything “Trump” related…not this trump but the *gags* Donald Trump. His casino’s are dirty and old looking…granted it’s because it is Trump plaza, but still…hire someone with a frikking vaccum to run through there! The carpet is at LEAST 20 years old….Taj is a teeny bit nicer but not much….
I really like the one costumed character that is coming out of a doorway. His tail looks more like an insect leg than Trump’s tail has any right looking.
I also never noticed Trump’s star tats. He’s like a punker kid of his era (2001ish). I think that’s my favorite aspect of him now other than his horn nose. That has always appealed to me for some reason.
I’ve always been a sucker for strange mascots as well. I was a HUGE freak for Charlie Tuna as a kid. I just absolutely adored him more than any kid has any right to. I still get giddy when I see him on a commercial to this day.
That said my favorite mascot of all time was Morris the Cat. He wasn’t wacky or strange but he was just the best a disgruntled finicky cat. My grandma had a random biography about him and I loved to flip through the picture pages in the middle of the book.
I know I’ve seen “Trump” before, but I don’t think I’ve ever noticed that much about him…not the bird feet, not the stars…definitely not that he has a fucking horn for a nose. And I damn sure didn’t know his name was “Trump!” Hell, I didn’t know he HAD a name!
I’m indifferent to Trump myself. He looks like he could be a relative of My Pet Monster. Like maybe a cousin…or second cousin. Stepbrother?
Whoooaaa. Teddy, I think you just solved it for me. THAT’S why I like Trump so much. He’s like MPM’s brother.
I see a Jurassic Park logo in one of the photos
I love that cat.
@Pluto_Child – Wait, there’s a biography of Morris the Cat? And it’s extensive enough that it only has a photo section in the middle of the book? Wow.
Also, I loved those commercials too and remember distinctly the day that the original Morris died. I heard it on a news report and was inconsolable.
This guy always reminded me of the monsters on the Laffy Taffy packs: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2505/3885667159_11660afceb_z.jpg