Most popular brand mascots of Indian advertising and marketing world

Jul 12, 2021 By: BI India Bureau

1. Amul Girl | Born in 1967

Brains behind it: Sylvester Da Cunha | From government scandals and celebrity gossip to gender equality, the charismatic Amul Girl has been known to comment on issues that nobody dared to refer to on public-forums, and that's what has made her a favourite. Credit: Amul

2. Nirma Girl | Named after founder Karsanbhai Patel’s daughter Nirupama

Clad in a white frilly frock, the ‘Nirma Girl’ remains the most enduring image since 1980s till today. It was conceived by a Gujarat-based ad agency Purnima Advertising. Credit: Nirma

3. Parle-G girl

This popular illustration was created by Everest Creative’s artist Maganlal Daiya in the 1960s. Credit: Parle

4. Lijjat Papad Rabbit

The bunny puppet was managed and “voiced” by Ramdas Padhye, a ventriloquist in Bombay. The jingle kharram khurram won millions of hearts. Credit: Lijjat-Papad

5. Onida’s Devil by Goutam Rakshit

Onida was the first brand in India to choose a negative character to represent a brand, which became a huge selling point for the brand from 1985 till 2000. It made an appearance in 2018. Credit: Onida

6. Vodafone’s ZooZoos | 2009

Conceptualised by Rajiv Rao, the cute white creatures with ballooned bodies and egg-shaped face created a huge buzz during the second season of the Indian Premier League in 2009. Credit: Vodafone

7. Asian Paints’ Gattu

Gattu, a masterwork by the late RK Laxman, was mainly seen in print ads and packaging until the 1970s. Credit: Asian-Paints

8. Air India’s Maharaja | 1946

The royal mascot of Air India was created by Umesh Rao, a J Walter Thompson Ltd artist and commercial director SK ‘Bobby’ Kooka. Credit: Air-India

9. Indian Railway’s Bholu | 2002

Dressed as a guard, holding up a green flag or a signal lamp, this elephant was made by the National Institute of Design (India) to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Indian Railways. Credit: Indian-Railway

10. Dunzo mascots | Conceptualised by: In-house team

The most recent mascots we've come across are Dunzo’s Harri and Dunya. Like Amul, its mascots comment on status-quo with some really witty puns, swag and humor. Credit: Business Insider India

India’s first queer mascots

Dunzo also introduced India’s first queer mascots Carelines Ringaraj (She/Her) and Jusmeet (They/Them) in June 2021. Credit: Business Insider India

While many technological advancements have changed the media landscape,

experts suggest that mascots can be omnipresent and immortal Credit: Business Insider India