I do like the idea of mascots, but truthfully I think they are better done as non-human mascots and need to be simple. I think Japan got this right with Yura-chara[0]. There seems to be a strong preference for non-human characters and when there are human ones, they're still overly simplistic.
Seems like same rule about flags[1]: a child should be able to draw it from memory.
There's quite a precedent of sea-related names for transit fare cards. Hong Kong's Octopus, London's Oyster, San Francisco's Clipper... any others I've missed?
godelski 3 hours ago [-]
I would feel offended if they chose anything else lol. But the orca mascot is cute. Well done Seattle
yellowapple 7 hours ago [-]
Agreed. Nyango Star is another example of this sort of mascot done right. He's an apple, a cat, and a heavy metal drummer; what's not to love?
spondylosaurus 7 hours ago [-]
The first BART mascot has a little blue chibi goat next to the human girl, and I can't tell if the chibi is supposed to be an alternate form of the girl or a completely separate entity, but either way it seems like it could be a solid yura-chara.
They have non-human characters. The key mistake they made is that they put the human characters front and center. The human characters should appear in accompanying comics where they end up interacting with the animal mascots, not be the mascots themselves.
kappasan 6 hours ago [-]
We have something similar here in Kyoto! But we're Japan so there's an actual anime [1] and a character relationship chart [2], both straight from the city government.
> The reincarnated bunny spirit of a legacy car who has seen it all.
Not how I picture a BART car that has "seen it all".
PaulRobinson 7 hours ago [-]
I'm pretty well travelled across Europe and North America, and a little bit of South America.
I've never seen anything like the BART anywhere else - and I don't mean that in a positive way.
It's late where I am, I'm about to go to bed, and now this image of a BART car that has "seen it all" is going to haunt me... I might eat a load of cheese to calm the dreams down...
cultofmetatron 7 hours ago [-]
no kidding.. I lived in SF during the peak of the influx of tech and was a daily BART rider. there's things I can't unsee.
Lammy 6 hours ago [-]
I'm glad I got to experience the carpeted cars with cloth seats even if they got gross some times.
cobbzilla 3 hours ago [-]
Cloth seats on BART must be among the worst design decisions ever made. Seating on public transit must be something that can be hosed down with bleach, and not a material that will forever hold whatever funk is deposited into it.
flomo 2 hours ago [-]
I took BART a lot (uhhh) 30 years ago. The trains were very clean and highly policed. I wouldn't even bring a coffee on board, much less smoke crank or whatever. Different era.
Lammy 2 hours ago [-]
It was way more comfortable to sit on, soft surfaces help keep noise levels down inside the car, and I wash my clothes regularly :p
spike021 6 hours ago [-]
not sure about “seen it all” but definitely “screamed it all”. I haven’t ridden Bart in a while but i remember the banshee screeches.
zghst 2 hours ago [-]
This train has a lot more history than you think. Something, something about the NSA and mind-reading. You would not believe it.
You can also see it in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior.
godelski 8 hours ago [-]
Okay, but why are we importing pseudoscience?
bitwize 8 hours ago [-]
Because it's fun.
I don't believe astrology is real, but I've assigned birthdays to some of my characters based on zodiac signs which are said to align with their personality, simply because it's cute and fun. I was inspired by the characters of Sailor Moon, each of which have a birthday in a zodiac sign ruled by their associated planet. (So Moon is a Cancer, Mercury is a Virgo, etc.).
godelski 8 hours ago [-]
I guess to each their own. I can see how it can be fun but when zodiac signs are discussed it is disproportionately about more than "fun" and that certainly biases me (and I think many others).
Lammy 8 hours ago [-]
Homestuck and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race (Terezi is my fav)
joshdavham 8 hours ago [-]
It’s from Japanese culture. Knowing a person’s (or a fictional character’s) blood type is something they find interesting. A bit like how we in the west find astrological signs interesting.
UncleEntity 7 hours ago [-]
For when BART police accidentally grabs their gun instead of their taser?
AStonesThrow 11 hours ago [-]
This is really cute and friendly. I like it; very much in-character for the BART.
My own transit system has sort of developed two mascots. They are not as artful or clever as BART's, but they are designed with a utilitarian purpose: to demonstrate good vs. bad behavior while onboard.
The characters are named "Right" and "Rong", both humanoids who are differentiated primarily by color and mood. Right, of course, does all the right things and abides by the rules, while Rong is a classic example of the scofflaw you wouldn't want sitting next to you.
bitwize 8 hours ago [-]
Reminds me of the perennial standbys from Highlights for Children, Goofus and Gallant.
Yes it is totally Goofus/Gallant style! Right down to the simplistic verse of the slogans in the window decals. Thanks for making that comparison. I am sure they drew from that fabled tradition, so to speak!
pinoy420 8 hours ago [-]
[dead]
cubefox 6 hours ago [-]
[flagged]
KennyBlanken 5 hours ago [-]
Please explain what you're trying to say here.
geraldwhen 6 hours ago [-]
The first character is 6’2. Odds of being male are very very high
KennyBlanken 6 hours ago [-]
...except for the "she" in her character card.
_bin_ 5 hours ago [-]
[flagged]
neilv 5 hours ago [-]
They're all female? I wonder whether the BART officials know all the connotations of different kinds of anime/manga fandom.
saagarjha 4 hours ago [-]
Look if you want to draw rule 34 of the BART mascot that's on you.
neilv 2 hours ago [-]
Probably I've been on the Internet too long, and gotten a distorted view of what anime fans are interested in.
Seems like same rule about flags[1]: a child should be able to draw it from memory.
Only Barty seems to fit these conditions.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuru-chara
[1] https://nava.org/good-flag-bad-flag
I like DPS-kun from beatmaniaⅡᴅx copula: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcfmIKKMu7Y
They made a plush of him that's very cute too
Im a grown ass man and can't draw the US flag properly from memory, much less the many far more complicated flags out there.
I don't think that definition is particularly useful.
CGP Grey has a lot of opinions[1] about this.
[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vexillology
[1] https://youtu.be/l4w6808wJcU
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OInuZFHeQo
[2] https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/kotsu/cmsfiles/contents/0000215...
Not how I picture a BART car that has "seen it all".
I've never seen anything like the BART anywhere else - and I don't mean that in a positive way.
It's late where I am, I'm about to go to bed, and now this image of a BART car that has "seen it all" is going to haunt me... I might eat a load of cheese to calm the dreams down...
The Anime Mascots are a good touch.
https://observer.com/2017/10/la-metro-promotes-transit-etiqu...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type_personality_theory
I don't believe astrology is real, but I've assigned birthdays to some of my characters based on zodiac signs which are said to align with their personality, simply because it's cute and fun. I was inspired by the characters of Sailor Moon, each of which have a birthday in a zodiac sign ruled by their associated planet. (So Moon is a Cancer, Mercury is a Virgo, etc.).
My own transit system has sort of developed two mascots. They are not as artful or clever as BART's, but they are designed with a utilitarian purpose: to demonstrate good vs. bad behavior while onboard.
https://www.valleymetro.org/blog/2019/10/quick-guide-light-r...
The characters are named "Right" and "Rong", both humanoids who are differentiated primarily by color and mood. Right, of course, does all the right things and abides by the rules, while Rong is a classic example of the scofflaw you wouldn't want sitting next to you.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goofus_and_Gallant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_service