Battle of the mascots.
(Image: Emily Wong/The Spinoff)
There were none, but then suddenly two. Why? And, crucially, who would win in a death match?
‘Tis the season to scroll social media and be met with a flurry of red and blue, dead eyes and empty half smiles. Watch as these candidates travel the country and pose outside landmarks, perform viral TikTok trends and meet local kids. They might try to charm you with a slogan such as “join the freevolution”, or simply hand you a friendship bracelet in silence. For whatever reason, it is not a scandal that they are basically 100% naked all the time.
Such is the campaign life of Plussie and Threeadore, two friendly mascots representing our local streaming platforms TVNZ+ and ThreeNow who have been seen committing all manner of hijinks across TikTok, Instagram, billboards and broadcast ads over the last year or so. But who are these two grinning wide-eyed content enthusiasts really, and why have they both crashed into our pop culture sphere within mere months of each other?
The first to emerge was Threeadore in March 2025, ThreeNow’s grinning red “fluffball” who looks a bit like the Cookie Time monster got veneers and then got run over by a steamroller (I am told his shape is inspired by the ThreeNow logo). Originally launched in animated form as part of Three’s “take a subscription vacation” campaign, he has since crossed into the world of flesh and fuzz on his “join the freevolution” nationwide tour sponsored by Volkswagen.
Described as “fun-loving, curious and always up for a bit of mischief” by Reuben Wiremu, Sky NZ’s head of growth and acquisition, Threeadore has also spawned thousands of plush babies, dressed up as a Traitor, cast love spells as cupid during MAFS Australia, and has even protested on the grounds of parliament (too soon!). “He can be anything, go anywhere and do everything, so you never quite know where he’ll pop up next,” says Wiremu. Ominous!
And then there’s Plussie, full name Plusian “Plussie” McPlusteron, who a spokesperson for TVNZ tells me “was born somewhere in the building many decades ago” but only burst forth onto social media in June last year. With a bit more of an angular, yuppy vibe (wears shoes and gloves), Plussie has walked those big shoes everywhere fromthe beaches of Celebrity Treasure Island, to the football with Chris Chang, to ping pong with John Campbell.
Bodo Lang, professor in marketing at Massey University, says that embracing the “long-standing marketing strategy” of the mascot is a wise move for both platforms, even if their arrivals clashed somewhat. “If you think about what a streaming service is, it’s basically a digital gateway to a library of online content, which is boring,” he says. “So what can you do to make that brand just a little more human? A mascot is one good way of doing it.”
ThreeNow and TVNZ+ are far from the only digital brands stepping into the world of anthropomorphised spokespeople. As reportedby the BBC in May this year, big international tech brands have been embracing mascots as a way of appearing more “cute and cuddly” to consumers. These include Microsoft’s new “expressive and warm” character Mico, Apple’s large-headed “little finder guy” and Firefox changing its logo into a mascot named Kit.
That said, none of the major streaming platforms have their own mascot equivalents. Where is Flicky for Netflix, or Maxie for HBO Max? “They have the heft of a very, very big chequebook behind them, and so they can outperform local brands on just the size of a catalogue,” says Lang. “And finding a mascot that would work well across the world becomes so much more complex – the smaller and the more targeted the market is, the easier it is to find that mascot.”
As for where our homegrown streaming mascots differ, Lang’s guess is that Threeadore appeals to a younger audience with his “distinct broad face” and fluffy exterior. “Research shows that cuteness adds another layer of relatability, and I think Threeadore is probably just a little bit cuter.” By comparison, Plussie’s viral TikTok interests intersect with an older demographic, and his angular body “would very much appeal to architects and people into abstract trades”.
Just over the weekend, Threeadore raced a plethora of other beloved local mascots at the Warriors game, including Harold the Giraffe and a large sentient bottle of CeraVe (he did not place). It begs another thrilling question: which streaming mascot would win in a death match? Yes, Threeadore has at least three visible teeth, but he also has very small T-Rex arms and a lot of fur to pull. Plussie is toothless, but has the training, along with gloves, shoes and those sharp right angles to wallop as needed.
“It’s a no-brainer,” says Lang. “Just a little headbutt from Plussie would probably throw Threeadore back quite a bit.”
