• In a 2019 ad for Liberty Mutual Insurance, an actor struggles to pronounce the company’s name and at one point says, “Liberty biberty.” Apparently, that phrase was iconic enough for the company to create a fuzzy, yellow, crown-wearing mascot with that same name. According to a company statement, the mascot “embodies the warm, fuzzy feeling of getting great coverage and great savings on car insurance.”
• On the cusp of its 25th (!!) birthday, Crocs has brought its crocodile Niles to life in the form of a six-foot-tall, sometimes poorly behaved mascot. And yes, he is wearing Crocs. The company is introducing Niles through episodes from an Office-style sit-com where his unique personality comes to be appreciated by his co-workers.
• Speaking of questionable behavior, Duo, the Duolingo owl has been harassing people for a number of years already. From a Medium article: “The Duolingo owl doesn’t just remind you to practice Spanish. It threatens your family. It twerks at baseball games. It flirts with Dua Lipa. It crashes other brands’ content. It acts like it’s having a mental breakdown because you missed your lesson streak.”
Learn about Duo’s origins and why he has proved to be so popular with Gen Z customers at
