If you walk on campus, you can find many mascots that represent the school. Hanyang University's official mascots "HYlion", "HYnari", ERICA Campus mascots "Hnyangi" and "HYbbi" exist everywhere. What shape and characteristics does the mascot of Hanyang University have? We looked into the each character and the background behind its development in detail.

HYlion is the official character of both campuses, created by the combination of the acronym "HY" for Hanyang in English and the English word "lion", a symbol animal. The first version of "HYlion 1.0" was introduced in 2009, and it transformed into "HYlion 2.0" in 2019, reflecting current trends and featuring a more friendly and simplified design.

"HYnari" is another character created for the university, combination of the acronym "HY" and the word "nari" , which means "forsythia" in Korean. HYnari takes on the form and color of a forsythia and is anthropomorphized, taking up residence on top of HYlion's head. Over time, both characters have been enhanced with stronger personalities and stories, and their appearance has become even more gentle and cute.

Recently, the Design Management Center unveiled a new 2023 version of HYlion and HYnari. Kim Min-young, Deputy General Manager of the Design Management Center, said, "The mascot needs to change in line with the trend of the times," adding, "The storyline and appearance of the two characters have changed compared to the former two characters." Kim added, "We focused on applying various movements and facial expressions. We hope for a lot of attention and expectations to the refurbished HYlion and HYnari." Various presentation materials, port forms, SNS emoticons and goods using the newly renovated HYlion and HYnari are expected to be released in the future.

“Hnyangi”, the main character of ERICA Campus, is a dedicated character made with the motif of a lion, a symbolic animal, and is a name that marks "Hanyangi" as pronounced. Hnyangi can be found in various places such as benches in front of the ERICA Campus Student Welfare Building and Gymnasiums. Hnyangi was born in 2017 with the collaboration of the ERICA Campus External Relations and Development Team and alumni Cho Deuk-rae (Department of Techno-product Design, Class of ‘11). Hnyangi represents the image of ERICA Campus through external and internal characteristics such as blue, which is a symbolic color, and the navel expressed in H. Hnyangi is also widely used in PC icons, desktops, and KakaoTalk emoticons.

“HYbbi” is the new mascot of the ERICA campus, which was unveiled in 2021 April Fool's Day. It was designed with motifs from pigeons, a symbolic bird of Hanyang University, which is characterizedas a close friend of Hnyangi. Lee Hyun-joo (Department of Interactive Media Design, class of ‘18), who designed HYbbi, said, "I decided to introduce a new mascot while working as Nanoom supporters and devising content for students." Lee said, "I designed it with a focus on simplicity, so that students can have fun drawing the characters."

Acrylic key rings, stickers, badges, and various products and online themes are made and increasing the recognition of HYbbi. In December last year, She also held a “bbi-mart”, an event with HYbbi as the main character. Lee said, "The design has become colorful with Hibibi being together in the place where only Hnyangi was there," adding, "I hope for great love and expectations for HYbbi.”