"National Mascots" or "Since When Is There A Mother Canada?"

[Seil]

Well, the answer to that second question is since about 1936 or so. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_National_Vimy_Memorial)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Canadian_National_Vimy_Memorial_-_.Mother_Canada.JPG/450px-Canadian_National_Vimy_Memorial_-_.Mother_Canada.JPG

Thread inspired by a (http://satwcomic.com/the-original-north-america) few (http://satwcomic.com/the-original-nordics) SATW comics. America has Uncle Sam (http://www.sonofthesouth.net/uncle-sam/images/uncle-sam.jpg) - who I have no idea where he came from - and apparently, Canada has a Mother Canada. Go figure.

Why did I know about Uncle Sam before I knew about Mother Canada and the Nordic personifications? What's the story behind these characters? There's usually a story. I hope it's a good one. But the idea stands that the countries of the world felt a need to personify their most valued virtues into a character-symbol-whatever. What's the thinking behind that?

[Viridis]

There's a female version of America, too. Trying to think of her name...

Here we go, Colombia:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2383368/431px-ColumbiaStahrArtwork.jpg

What's the thinking behind that?Mostly to evoke feelings for propaganda. Posters of Uncle Sam or Colombia needing your help, etc.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

DC kind of turned Uncle Sam into a Super Hero at one point. Not sure when they did this for the first time though.

[Intern Nin]

Actually, it was National Comics. Created by Will "The Fucking Story Master" Eisner no less.

[Melfice]

Here's the Dutch unofficial mascot:
http://traveller.gls-community.de/en/system/files/u2615/frau_antje.jpg

Here's a parody:
http://goedgelovig.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/frau_antje_der_spiegel.jpg

And other than that, we've still got our good old Dutch lion.
So, yeah. Be proud of Mother Canada, Seil. She wasn't designed to sell Dutch cheese to the Germans.

EDIT: I'm actually surprised there isn't a red light to be found anywhere in that parody picture.

[Krylo]

What the fuck is wrong with Colombia's eyebrows? Why are they in, like, the middle of her forehead instead of on her brow like they should be?

God Dammit, Paul Stahl, it's back to art anatomy for you. There is no excuse for that.

[Melfice]

I think that's shadow from her hair or hat.
Her eyebrows are where they should be, as far as I can see...

At least, I hope so.

[Satan's Onion]

It's Columbia, guys. With a U. Colombia is a country in South America. They're two different things, dammit :crossarms:

</spellingpedant>

[Krylo]

I think that's shadow from her hair or hat.
Her eyebrows are where they should be, as far as I can see...

At least, I hope so.

If it is a shadow why is it not the same shape as her hat and broken in the center? And why is there an actual shadow between them that is a different color entirely?

And if she has eyebrows where they should be why is there no color differentiation on her brow?

Those are totally eyebrows.

@S.O. I, of course, knew about Colombia, but I had no idea about Columbia until Viridis posted it. I thought it was weird the name was the same, but I kind of assumed he had looked it up.

Bad, Viridis. Bad.

[Satan's Onion]

Don't take it too personal--it's just that I live in Washington State, so "Columbia" is part of like every third place name, practically. So I know whereof I speak, is all.

[Melfice]

I know, Krylo.
But seeing as she's golden blond, and I can see a similar colour where eyebrows usually go I assumed the black lines are some form of shadow.

Whatevs.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Colombia and Columbia both have exactly the same root- Columbus so really they should be spelt the same. Spelling them different is continuing the errors of the past. We don't spell things how Shakespeare spelt things.
Writing my letter to Colombia right now.

And like I'm writing in English not in Spanish. I don't call Spain Espana either.

[Tev]

I know that Germany had that whole "fatherland" thing going on for a while. Does anyone know if they've got a picture or something to go with it?

On the other hand, Mother Russia is pretty badass....

http://www.worldbesttravel.info/uploads/mother_20russia1.jpg

[phil_]

EyebrowsEyebrows?Eyebrows eyebrows! Columbia.Those eyebrows are totally painted on. Like, not in a "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" sense, but in the sense that they are a representation of eyebrows which have been painted onto a woman's face to replace the plucked eyebrows she saw as unworthy of gracing her brow.

Fashion, man. Fashion.

[Shyria Dracnoir]

All talk of "Fatherland" aside, seems like Germany decided to stick with a female character for the longest time (at least until the World Wars period). Though she does look like she could cut a bitch:

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc230/Shyria_Dracnoir/F_A_von_Kaulbach_Germania_1914.jpg

Germany 1914, Friedrich August von Kaulbach

And apparently Axis Powers Hetalia is older than we thought:

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc230/Shyria_Dracnoir/Friedrich_Overbeck_008.jpg

Italia und Germania, Johann Friedrich Overbeck

[Magus]

Surprised Hitler and Mussolini didn't go for the whole "Italy and Germany are lesbian lovers" schtick. Would've made way hotter propaganda posters than a bunch of eagles and storm troopers.

Columbia is a common figure in a lot of early American paintings. There's one where she's like striding across the Great Plains, driving away "savages" and darkness and bringing in like all these happy settlers with the sun behind her. Basic xenophobic white supremacy at its best. It's seriously called like "Columbia Brings Civilization" or something like that.

Here it is:

http://www.csub.edu/~gsantos/jpgs/img0061.jpg'

The only hope for this painting is if the painter was being somewhat sarcastic, what with the buffalo also being driven off (to near extinction as we know). I don't think they were though because of the use of light as a metaphor.

[Lumenskir]

My favorite part of "Names on the Land" is how little the author disguises his seething annoyance at the clunky United States of America moniker being chosen instead of Columbia.

[Melfice]

Surprised Hitler and Mussolini didn't go for the whole "Italy and Germany are lesbian lovers" schtick. Would've made way hotter propaganda posters than a bunch of eagles and storm troopers.

Yyyyeah.
Homosexuality was an Abomination unto Nuggan according to Hitler's views.

We've got a monument in Amsterdam, remembering the homosexuals that were killed during World War 2.
They're a bit of a forgotten group of victims. Though, considering the whole-sale slaughter of Jewish people, it's sorta understandable why nobody remembers the gay victims. Entirely regrettable, but understandable.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

It's only undnerstable in that certain influential sectors of the Jewish community find it useful to fetish the holocaust as a useful political tool focusing on it as the overwhelming horror of the war to the exclusion of other victims.

Re homosexuality i Nazi germany- while they were fanatically anti-homosexual and shipped them to the camps, lots of Nazi propoganda is stocked with homoerotic undertones. That is always the case.

[Magus]

My favorite part of "Names on the Land" is how little the author disguises his seething annoyance at the clunky United States of America moniker being chosen instead of Columbia.

Well America in and of itself is a feminization of Amerigo so the dude must have just liked Christopher Columbus better than Amerigo Vespucci, since everybody and their brother hardly bothered to put "United States" in front of America throughout the last two hundred odd years. You could just as well make up a big goddess named America as well as Columbia. In common parlance it was always called America. "United States of America" is for official stuff.

Yyyyeah.
Homosexuality was an Abomination unto Nuggan according to Hitler's views.

We've got a monument in Amsterdam, remembering the homosexuals that were killed during World War 2.
They're a bit of a forgotten group of victims. Though, considering the whole-sale slaughter of Jewish people, it's sorta understandable why nobody remembers the gay victims. Entirely regrettable, but understandable.

Oh, I know all about that, I just figured since there was already such rampant homoeroticism inherent in the SS and so on that pornographers probably could have gotten away with some Germanica x Italia lesbian cartoon propaganda as long as the two lovers go and kill some untermensch after their hot, hot lovefest. Hitler would have just turned a blind eye to the practice. Mussolini would probably have commissioned it (that's how Mussolini rolls).

[Seil]

(that's how Mussolini rolls).

Are you calling Mussolini fat?!

I find it funny how I started this thread to talk about how Mother Canada, the personification of my country, lives in France, and you're talking about the States anyway.

Well, I guess the Statue Of Liberty, a totally Ameri... what's this? Built by the French?

[Krylo]

Built by the French to look like some French dude's mom.

[Overcast]

And his girlfriend.

[Magus]

The French were ballsy enough to decapitate their monarchy, similar enough to us in our ability to rebel against them.

Unlike some countries and their former colonies I could name...ahem...

[Overcast]

Of course most of the people they decapitated had nothing to do with the troubles that were happening to the French, they just happened to be associated by the rebellious press. But we ignore that.

[Magus]

Oh, please, the term "Reign of Terror" shows all kinds of bias. You can't make a souffle without cracking a few thousand eggs.

[Overcast]

Or in this case a few thousand necks. Oh well, we got the fun story of Napoleon out of the deal.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

The French were ballsy enough to decapitate their monarchy, similar enough to us in our ability to rebel against them.

Unlike some countries and their former colonies I could name...ahem...

Britain got rid of their monarchy a good hundred years before the French so I don't know what you talking about.
Sure they brought it back, but so did the French.

[Archbio]

Britain brought it back and it stuck, I'd think would be the important point there.

And they brought it back with this guy:

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/6852/charlesiiprinceofwalese.jpg

Just imagine what he's going to do to this poor dog once the painter's gone. Look at him.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

PARTY DOWN, CHARLES 2 IN DA HOUSE. HE'S CRUISIN FOR A BOOZIN

Also he was 30 when he took the throne so....

[Archbio]

Also he was 30 when he took the throne so....

That's not a toy dog in the painting.

EXCELLENT! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R1UAH_A3lA)

[Magus]

Is it just me or is Charles II holding the smallest dildo ever made in that painting?

[phil_]

Is it just me or is Charles II holding the smallest dildo ever made in that painting?I didn't want to say anything, but. . .

Also, there are definitely smaller.

[Magus]

I didn't want to say anything, but. . .

Also, there are definitely smaller.

TMI

I THINK YOU SHOULD GO BACK TO NOT SAYING THINGS ASAP

[Archbio]

It's only small if you assume that he's the size of a baby and that the dog is a toy dog, since there's nothing else to judge his scale by. I choose to believe that it's a painting of him as an adult and that it's an average sized dog.