[HN Gopher] BART's Anime Mascots
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       BART's Anime Mascots
        
       Author : archagon
       Score  : 29 points
       Date   : 2025-04-26 19:12 UTC (3 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.bart.gov)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.bart.gov)
        
       | AStonesThrow wrote:
       | 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.
       | 
       | 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.
        
         | bitwize wrote:
         | Reminds me of the perennial standbys from _Highlights for
         | Children_ , Goofus and Gallant.
         | 
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goofus_and_Gallant
        
       | archagon wrote:
       | (I kind of unironically want every public service to have a cute
       | mascot that could be turned into a plushie.)
        
       | zaptrem wrote:
       | Lol why do the info sheets include blood type?
        
         | creata wrote:
         | Giving the blood type of the character is common in anime and
         | manga. Wikipedia links it to a belief that blood type can
         | predict personality.
         | 
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type_personality_theory
        
           | godelski wrote:
           | Okay, but why are we importing pseudoscience?
        
             | bitwize wrote:
             | 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 wrote:
               | 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 wrote:
               | Homestuck and its consequences have been a disaster for
               | the human race (Terezi is my fav)
        
         | joshdavham wrote:
         | 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.
        
       | romanpoet wrote:
       | This has precedence for the LA Metro in 2017.
       | 
       | https://observer.com/2017/10/la-metro-promotes-transit-etiqu...
        
       | repeekad wrote:
       | Obligatory reminder that BART is going to run out of its
       | emergency funding by spring 2026
        
       | godelski wrote:
       | 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.
       | 
       | Only Barty seems to fit these conditions.
       | 
       | [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuru-chara
       | 
       | [1] https://nava.org/good-flag-bad-flag
        
         | Lammy wrote:
         | > I think Japan got this right
         | 
         | I like DPS-kun from beatmaniaIIx copula:
         | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcfmIKKMu7Y
         | 
         | They made a plush of him that's very cute too
        
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       (page generated 2025-04-26 23:00 UTC)