These days, anime is everywhere you look. From film to television, the medium is taking over fans all over the world. Everything from Pokemon to Sailor Moon is on the rise as the anime is easier than ever to be accessed thanks to the internet. This means that a lot of collaborations have gone down in the past few years with Anime Center, and now San Francisco’s public transportation is in on the deal.
Yes, you read it correctly. BART went into the world of anime. Not long ago, the public transit system announced an initiative to connect with young riders, and it’s doing so with a host of cartoon mascots.
They’re here! BART is excited to reveal the animated mascots that debuted in @tweetthe largest anime convention in the Gulf region!
Our animated mascots are here to enhance public transit and interact with young riders. ????????✍️????✨⚙️https://t.co/4c4jEJTjq0https://t.co/hIMaNhXgSH pic.twitter.com/LVCCEBtUhB
– Bart (SFBART) May 25, 2023
“They’re here! BART is excited to unveil its anime mascots debuting at FanimeCon, the Bay Area’s largest anime convention! Our anime mascots are here to promote public transit and interact with young riders,” BART tweeted with fans. . “All of our mascots were created and illustrated by talented and handpicked artists from California. Last summer, BART launched a call to engage young riders and artists. The open call was extremely popular, receiving nearly 500 entries.”
“Each mascot is inspired by BART’s frontline employees and BART’s contract animals that have reached national fame, like the hawk at the El Cerrito Plaza station or the goats that graze on BART’s property. All of the characters are peppered with symbols familiar to Bay Area residents who care about BART.”
As you can see above, all BART mascots have their own style and identity to set them apart. Bailey, Nimbus, Jasmine, Mira and Barty make up the crew. True to his word, BART brought their mascots to FanimeCon, and the attendees were blown away by their popularity. At some points, the BART booth had lines extending from the convention’s exhibit hall as guests wanted to get photos with the mascot. Like it or not, BART codes do their job. Now if only they could magically make all of the BART trains run on time…
Obviously, BART isn’t the first transit system in the world to use animation to its advantage. Japan perfected the deal years ago and keeps coming out with new mascots for its trains, subways, buses and more. Now, it looks like San Francisco is getting in on the fun, and the Bart girls are bringing all new eyes to the organization.
What do you think of Bart’s cartoon mascots? Do you have a favorite among these girls? Share your thoughts in the comments section below or follow me on Twitter @Megan Peters CB.
