Friends travelling through Sydney on election day said they had seen a number of ‘lying rodents’ outside polling booths. While I’ve seen a number on the TV news, its hard to find pictures of them online. Ambit Gambit has one – I’m guessing from the text that its Chas from The Chaser – but if you know of any others, I’d be interested.

In The Chaser’s latest series, The Chaser Decides, did you notice the blurry satirical rendition of the Abu Ghraib atrocities going on in the election tally-room backdrop behind them? In the local ACT election coverage a week ago, it was funny to see Freeda, the Free Range Canberra chook mascot making the most of that backdrop space, too. She positioned herself very visibly in the crowd milling behind the commentators, and then appeared to have a lot of fun jumping and waving to the cameras, and enthusiastically blowing kisses to us as the credits rolled at the end of the night. Free Range Canberra is a campaign and a registered political party that aims to ban the production of battery eggs in the ACT, and encourage consumers to buy free range eggs. Freeda was also pictured in the Canberra Times casting her vote, and she features in a nice Abbey Road cover spoof, the chicken ‘crossing the road to get elected’, on World Egg Day 8 Oct 2004.

Meanwhile, PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who were behind Lucy, the large sheep puppet that hugged Howard and Latham during the federal election campaign, trying to bring attention to their cause of stopping the live sheep export trade, have managed to persuade the American fashion chain Abercrombie and Fitch to ban the use of Australian-produced wool in its clothing.

Speaking of large mascots, I met Constable Kip Koala, Kenny Koala’s new friend the other day ;-). As a kid – and maybe even now! – I would have run a mile from any of these big creatures, but the kids at the family day seemed to love him.

I’ve also noticed that the National Heart Foundation Australia now has a big red heart mascot.