At first glance, the mascot from
Newmarket (N.H.) might not be all that impressive. Mules aren't exactly the most popular animal, or mascot.
Photo courtesy of logomagnet.com
Dig into it a bit, though, and you'll find that it is pretty cool to be a Newmarket Mule.
First things first: Mules and donkeys are not the same animal. The mule is produced when a male donkey and female horse mate, and it is smaller than a horse. But these animals are lauded worldwide for their strength, endurance and ability to help in carrying cargo. The book "The Mule Men: A History of Stock Packing in the Sierra Nevada" author Louise Jackson says that mules are "more patient, sure-footed, hardy and long-lived than horses, and they are considered less obstinate, faster, and more intelligent than donkeys."
They're good animals. And what makes the Mules choice even better at Newmarket is that the mascot name is a reference to the town's history.
According to Marc's Distinctive Mascots Collection, the town had a bustling textile mill industry and some of the workers were youngsters who would come to earn some money after they went to school each day. Those boys ended up getting stuck with the grunt work in the factory, and they were called "mules" by the regular workers.
So it's likely that the mascot name has nothing to do with the animal directly, but it sure lends itself to a distinct logo.
