We talked about mascots in The Story Behind Sports Superstitions and Curses and about how they’re thought to bring a team luck. Well, mascots aren’t just for sports. The one we’ll be talking about today is basically a mascot for the United States, although you probably won’t see him performing cartwheels during halftime of the Olympics or something. This particular mascot went something of a personification of the country in political cartoons to being the representation of the U.S. government, and, although we won’t talk about it, was the title character of a 1996 slasher movie with the tagline: "I want you … dead." I’m your host, Emily Prokop, and this is The Story Behind Uncle Sam. Join The Story Behind Discussion Group on Facebook! Follow The Story Behind: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest *NEW* | Website *NEW* Get Gear from The Story Behind at our TeePublic Store! Check out #PodernFamily on Twitter to find other great indie podcasts like this one. If you enjoy podcasts about history, literature, archeology, and the arts, check out the hashtag #HumanitiesPodcasts on Twitter to find more podcasts like this one. Looking for more female-hosted podcasts? Find them by searching #LadyPodSquad on Twitter. Click here to support this podcast on Patreon. Media: Music for Makers Other Episodes of The Story Behind Referenced: The Story Behind Sports Superstitions & Curses The Story Behind Surfer Lingo The Story Behind Christmas Traditions The Story Behind Secret Ballots Sources: Uncle Sam - Encyclopedia Britannica 1813: United States nicknamed Uncle Sam - History.com Was there a real “Uncle Sam”? - History.com 9 Things You Might Not Know About Uncle Sam - Mental Floss John Bull and Uncle Sam: Four Centuries of British-American Relations - Library of Congress Artist Biography: Joseph Ferdinand Keppler - Smithsonian Library When America Was Female - The Atlantic Columbia Pictures - Closing Logos Group Sorry Uncle Sam, but Warrior Goddess Columbia Was Our Coolest National Mascot - Slate
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