A Mascot for all Occasions

Whatever happened to recognizable animals for mascots?

Taiwan really goes all out with mascots. Teams have them. Products have them. Companies have them. The government agencies have them. Just about anything or anyone that wants to be something must have one.

I'm not sure it's always necessary to have mascots for every single thing but it does fit in line with making even the most boring or mundane things seem lively and/or cute be it Company XYZ's wingnut to the ROC's military. Amazingly though, a lot of mascots are very ambiguous looking such as the one in the picture for ShuLin City on a barren road in the middle of nowhere. What exactly is it supposed to be?

Feel free to send in your stories and pictures of the most ridiculous mascots you have seen in Taiwan or elsewhere.

UPDATE: I recently went to a Japanese cartoon culture exhibit that might share some light on why every organization is adopting mascots. See the last paragraph.