Where art thou?

We have witnessed the steady disappearance of some our most loved characters.

These were personalities we resonated with. They struck a chord deep within and bonded like old pals did.

We loved them and we hated them. Sometimes we wanted to hi fi and low fi them, give them a bear hug and at other times shrug our shoulders nonchalantly when we didn't quite agree to their points of view.

Love them or hate them , we thought we couldn't do without them. We thought they would hang around with us forever. We never really imagined a life without them.

But, we were forced too. And it hurt. Worldover marketeers and advertisers strived hard to create long lasting characters that would probably outlive generations and the brand itself.But, we in India had decided the time had come to pull out the plug and get done with the so called fuddy duddy personas once and for all.

Remember when the little boy in shorts with a can of paint and an unruly tuft of hair got brushed away. Yes, Asian Paint's Gattu has left many a heart broken.

Then, came the time for the roly poly jolly good fellow in red exuding warmth and Indian hospitality to bid adieu. We couldn't contain our emotions when he disappeared into the clear blue skies never to be seen again. Air India's Maharaja was the king of good times indeed.

He made us envious. He made us proud. He brought out a little possessiveness, a tinge of craziness and a fierce sense of competitiveness. He was the suave cocky guy who made us swoon with his shiny bald plate, lopsided wicked grin and evil talons. His banishment into the dark dark nights is something we have not quite recovered from.  Onida's devil was the ultimate in uber cool.

I love the little Amul girl for being around and entertaining us with her witty observations and smart Alec comments. Her smooth words cut ice with all of us. Literally.

Mascots can connect in a way like nothing else does. No brand ambassador or real brand personalities can ever replace them. Creating them perhaps is not such a tough thing to do. But maintaining them most certainly calls for a lot of patience and hard work. Thats what is cutting edge ultimately.

Here's appealing to all marketeers and advertisers out there to bring back our mascots. There couldn't be a better persona to epitomise everything that your brand stands for. Hail Mascots!