The New York City Parks Department is looking for a new mascot. What, you say, those two characters representing the different color recycling bins didn’t catch on?
That’s right, we may actually get something a little more charismatic this time. Not that blue bin and green bin weren’t sociable when they posed with us at events. But it would be nice to have a character that reflects the wildlife we love in city parks.
The Parks Department is having a contest. People can send in their drawings of a character. The only caveat seems to be that “designs must be able to be produced into a costume that can be worn by an adult between 5’6” and 6’ in height and up to 180 pounds in 
weight. “
We could still get something pretty dreadful, judging by the examples Parks provided on its contest form. A leaf face? Einstein with ginkgo leaves in his hair?
The big success story for parks over the last decade or so while Adrian Benepe and Henry Stern have been commissioners is that they’ve brought parks back to life. We now have all kinds of animals. That includes all the dog runs they’ve installed. And the resurgence of wildlife–hawks, eagles, owls, squirrels, coyotes, raccoons even a beaver. Surely one of those animals–my preference is the squirrel it’s about the most common animal that people like in parks–deserves to be the New York City Parks mascot.
Just a note – the recycling bins were (and still are) mascots for a different New York City agency, the Department of Sanitation.