Former President of Iraq and central figure of the Persian Gulf War of 1991. Was executed by hanging in December 2006. Or was he?
Easter Bunny – No. 59
Happy Easter or Happy Ostara! Here is a rabbit that carries around a basket of colored eggs and candy. The bunny as an Easter symbol seems to have its origins in Germany in the 1500s. German settlers introduced the Easter bunny to American folklore in the 1700s.
Dalai Lama – No. 58
The 14th Dalai Lama has represented Tibetan Buddhism since 1950.
P.S. “What surprises me most about humanity is man. He sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future. He lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies never having really lived.” – Dalai Lama
Cthulhu – No. 57
A cosmic entity created by H. P. Lovecraft. Who better to help us celebrate Earth Day and get us to demonstrate our commitment to survive on this small planet.
Abraham Lincoln – No. 56
The 16th President of the United States. He was assassinated at Ford’s Theater in 1861. In addition, this Holopaw song is great.
Virgin Mary – No. 54
A Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee who got knocked up by God as a teenager. Nine months later she popped out an appropriated sun god named Jesus.
Gautama Buddha – No. 50
Siddhārtha Gautama was the spiritual teacher who founded Buddhism. He is also considered the ninth incarnation of Vishnu in Hinduism.
Hotei Buddha – No. 49
Not the real Buddha, but a laughing deity of Chinese folklore. I bought a sitting Budai figurine in Manhattan just after 9/11 and have kept it in my car ever since. For good luck. I am also quite taken by this recent photo of a Hotei Buddha statue resting seemingly undisturbed in the tsunami-destroyed town of Sendai, Japan.
Jesus Christ – No. 48
Time to switch things up. Now begins a series of characters that aren’t based on college sports mascots. First is the central figure and namesake of Christianity who was born from the Virgin Mary.
Vanderbilt Commodore – No. 47
The Vanderbilt Commodores mascot is NCAA Division I pixel art mascot #46 of 347. SEC mascot #12 of 12. (View reference images.)
Tennessee Volunteer – No. 46
The Tennessee Volunteers mascot is NCAA Division I pixel art mascot #45 of 347. SEC mascot #11 of 12. (View reference images.)
