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Making a triumphant return to the show, Paul F. Tompkins joins Mark once again to talk all things mascots. Mark responds to lots of Mascot Mail, reports on some Mascot News, and of course, PFT has his second crack at The Japanese Mascot Game. Follow the show on Instagram: @mascotspodcast Email the show: mascotspodcast@gmail.com

On this episode of Mascots, Mark is joined by the wonderful Chris Tallman. The two of them talk about their ties to Madison, Wisconsin, so get ready for a VERY indulgent dive into Mark’s favorite mascot, Bucky Badger. There’s a bit of serious mascot news, a bit of frivolous mascot news, and of course the Japanese Mascot Game. Also, Mark and Chris discuss a potential Dungeons and Dragons mascot. Adventure awaits! Email the show: mascotspodcast@gmail.com Follow Mascots on Instagram: @mascotspodcast

On this episode, Mark is joined by his good friend from the Superego podcast, Jeremy Carter. Jeremy is from Kansas City, so of course they discuss the local teams and mascots, and they also talk about one of the most unfortunate youth baseball team names to date. There’s some exciting personal news, and Jeremy comes very close to guessing a mascot correctly in The Japanese Mascot game.Email the show: mascotspodcast@gmail.com Follow on Instagram: @mascotspodcast

Mark is joined on this episode by Rebecca Delgado Smith from The Alarmist podcast. She’s got quite the mascot history, including being a pigeon, a violet, and a member of The Connection. This interview was recorded in December of 2020, so please enjoy some breaking (at the time) Mascot News about Scotland’s fleet of snowplows and about Cleveland’s men’s professional baseball team.   Email the show: mascotspodcast@gmail.com Follow the show on Instagram: @mascotspodcast

This is the second part of Mark’s conversation with author, podcaster, and actor John Hodgman. This one is wall to wall Extinct Hockey. From the Montreal Wanderers to the Atlanta Thrashers, this episode is for those forgotten forwards and bygone goalies from places like Winnipeg, Quebec City, Cleveland, and more. There is a mascot discovery in this episode that is not to be missed. 

Mark is joined by the wonderful John Hodgman, who is not a sports fan, but did play on a youth soccer team with a name that is out of this world. John makes sure we all understand that while Eli may appear as a crossword clue, Yale’s mascot is named Handsome Dan. John also plays The Japanese Mascot Game. This was not originally intended to be a two part episode, so Mark takes some time in the middle of the episode to reflect on 2020 and look forward to 2021. Email the show: mascotspodcast@gmail.com Follow on Instagram: @mascotspodcast

Happy Holidays, Happy Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, Happy Winter Solstice, just generally, HAPPY. It’s a special edition of Mascots, with special guest Tony Thaxton. You may know Tony as the drummer for Motion City Soundtrack. You may know Tony as the host of Bizarre Albums. But on this episode, Tony taps into his yuletide expertise from his time hosting the podcast Feliz Navipod. This episode covers Tony’s mascot history which includes a whirlpool, The Japanese Mascot Game is played, and Mark and Tony try to solidify a mascot for the holiday season.

Mark is joined by Jess McKenna and Zach Reino of Off Book: The Improvised Musical podcast. They cover some mascot news from the US and abroad, they discuss personal past mascots, and try to envision a world with a Broadway Musical theme park, complete with some fantastic mascots. And of course, Jess and Zach play The Japanese Mascot Game!  Email the show: mascotspdocast@gmail.com Follow the show on Instagram: @mascotspodcast

Our host answers emails from listeners. They used the email address mascotspodcast@gmail.com to reach our host, Mark McConville. How many late 1980s Minnesota Twins can Mark name off the top of his head? Which mascot tattoo is in Mark’s future? Will a listener dupe Mark into reading a very racist mascot name on the show? You’ll have to listen to find out! Email the show: mascotspodcast@gmail.com Follow the show on Instagram: @mascotspodcast

Mark is joined by Matt Jones, who you may know from the world of improv comedy, from Bob Hearts Abishola on CBS, or from his portrayal of Badger on AMC's Breaking Bad. Matt is a Los Angeles native with a love of Chicago teams. They talk about this dichotomy, spend an inordinate amount of time wondering about a specific restaurant chain, they discuss their transitions from sports to comedy, then cover some serious mascot news, and touch on how social media is listening to you, but with the best of intentions. All of this and more, and of course, the Japanese Mascot Game. Follow Mascots on Instagram: @mascotspodcast Email the show: mascotspodcast@gmail.com LET’S GO!

With Halloween right around the corner, Adam Peacock from the podcast My Neighbors Are Dead joins Mark to discuss potential Halloween mascots, cults, and the ultimate in horror- Detroit sports fandom. Adam plays the Japanese Mascot Game and so much more.

Mark is joined by actor, improviser, and fellow Wisconsin native Dave Theune. The two of them go deep on some Wisconsin mascots, talk about their improv comedy beginnings, and of course, Dave plays The Japanese Mascot Game.

On this episode of Mascots, Mark is joined by his comedy brother-in-arms Matt Gourley. Matt is not much a sports fan at all, so with the election coming, these two discuss the mascots of the American political parties and the live animal mascots of the branches of the American military. Matt and Mark also discuss home extermination techniques, and Matt plays the Japanese Mascot Game. Follow on instagram: @mascotspodcastEmail the show: mascotspodcast@gmail.com

It’s a long overdue episode of Mascots with very special guest, actor and podcaster Mike ‘Box’ Elder. During Mike’s college years, he performed as Goldy the Gopher, the official mascot of the University of Minnesota. Mark grew up about 30 minutes from the Twin Cities, so this is a Minnesota heavy episode- winter activities, lumberjack statues, being jettisoned from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, this episode has it all. Mark is also a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, and has his love of Bucky Badger challenged by a friendly rival. Mike's behind the scenes knowledge and experience in the mascot world is very fun. Follow the show on instagram- @mascotspodcast and Email the show- mascotspodcast@gmail.com. LET’S GO!

It’s time to choose a champion again! Mark is joined by his wife Kristina Rodgers for a second time, this time to choose the 2020 NBA Champion based solely on the mascot information provided by team websites, when available. Toronto, honestly, can’t you do better? Follow Mascots on instagram- @mascotspodcast. Email the show- mascotspodcast@gmail.com

Mark is joined by Drunk History’s Craig Cackowski! Craig and Mark talk about an amazing youth soccer typo, the name change at William and Mary, DC area teams, the current Washington professional football franchise controversy, and Craig makes a valiant effort in the Japanese Mascot Game. Email the show- mascotspodcast@gmail.com and follow the show on Instagram- @mascotspodcast. LET’S GO!

The National Hockey League has decided to isolate 24 hockey teams in two Canadian cities to close out the 2020 season. Starting August 1st, these teams will play a bunch of hockey games to determine a Stanley Cup Champion. Now, why go to all that trouble when you can just have a mascot tournament to determine a winner? Mark is joined by his wife and non-hockey fan, Kristina Rodgers, to take a long hard look at the mascots of these 24 teams with a fresh set of highly opinionated eyes. On this very special episode of Mascots, they will attempt to try to determine, based on arbitrary and ever-changing criteria, who will win this tournament based on mascot quality alone. Let’s go! Email the show: mascotspodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @mascotspodcast

On this episode, Mark is joined by Carl Tart! Carl talks about the teams of his youth in both Mississippi and Los Angeles, his love for the Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Saints, and, as always, the Japanese Mascot Game closes the show. Follow the show on Instagram at @mascotspodcast. You can email the show- mascotspodcast@gmail.com

Mark is joined by comedian and host of the Three Swings podcast Rhea Butcher! Rhea is a lifelong sports fan and a particularly enormous baseball fan from Akron, Ohio. So, naturally, they chat about LeBron James and also the Cleveland men’s professional baseball team. Follow the show on Instagram at @mascotspodcast. You can email the show- mascotspodcast@gmail.com

This week’s episode of Mascots features Mark’s interview with Pete The Retailer from Star Wars Minute. This episode was recorded May 6th, 2020. Listeners will get a short New York geography lesson, plenty of dragon discussion, and an answer to this question- Is there a Star Wars mascot? Plus, the Japanese Mascot Game and more. Follow @mascotspodcast on Instagram for images from the episodes. Have a question or comment about the show? Email mascotspodcast@gmail.com. Let’s go!