School Mascot Sits Down at Lunch Table, Boy in Tears Realizing Who's Under Costume
Mascots don’t get a ton of attention, especially when they’re in a middle school. High school and college mascots are a bit more important, but it’s still a thankless job.
Nobody considers who is inside the mascot costume, which was perfect for one student. He didn’t know that there was a surprise waiting for him when the mascot lifted her mask.
Jake, a student at McKinley Elementary School, was eating lunch with his friends when the mascot approached him.
The stranger in a leopard costume walked between the tables, giving out high-fives and catching everyone’s attention. It’s not every day the mascot came strolling through lunch — and the school’s Facebook post implies that they just recently made the mascot costume purchase.
As she got closer to Jake, she carefully sat down across from him, in a conveniently empty spot, and waved to everyone at the table.
Two young girls to her left giggled and edged away, whispering about the whole event.
Jake offered the animal a snack, but she refused. The students seemed a bit confused as to what the character was doing there, and why it was being filmed.
It wasn’t until the mascot removed her mask that it became clear. Jake stood and screamed, “Mom!”
Jake ran around the long table and into his mother’s arms. He buried his face in her chest as he started crying in front of the lunchroom.
When they figured out what was going on, the rest of the students started to clap. This was a surprise reunion for a military mom and her son.
“So glad we finally purchased the mascot. BEST.USE.EVER.” the school wrote in the caption of the now-viral Facebook video.
“This serves as an amazing reminder of the sacrifice our men and women in the military endure, and the children/family who miss them so…THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!” the caption continued.
Videos like these are fantastic to watch. They show how much sacrifice goes into serving in our military.
The video of the reunion has now been viewed thousands of times, with complete strangers left in tears in the comments.
“Everytime (sic) I see these kinds of videos they bring tears to my eyes. Love our military men and women for their sacrifice to our country and their families!” one user wrote. “Welcome home and thanks for your service!”
What a heartwarming moment! Thank you to everyone who made this beautiful reunion happen.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
