Meet the mascots: why Marsell runs its own channels
A beaver who reads the news, an explorer and his chicken, a band that lives in a bathroom: the channels Marsell makes for itself, and why.
By Ilya Arbabi, 6 October 2026
Marsell markets businesses. It also makes its own channels, each with its own characters, and they are where the product gets tested hardest: a beaver who reads the news, an explorer and his chicken, a squirrel with tiny paws, a band that lives in a bathroom, and an office full of people taking credit for a bean's work. Here is who's who, and what they are for.
Why a marketing company runs mascots
People follow characters. They skip a brand's post and then watch forty episodes of a beaver reporting on the acorn shortage. A character can hold a niche in a way a logo can't, and a niche is where attention is cheapest.
So the plan is simple:
- One mascot, one niche. Every character owns one niche and posts plain, useful things for the people in it: news for news people, ASMR for ASMR people.
- The audience grows. People come for the niche and stay for the character. Marsell makes the posts and keeps what works.
- Brands come to the character. First through the platforms' own creator marketplaces. Then through Marsell, where businesses bid for the character that fits: a fridge brand bids for the cooking channel.
The goal is hundreds of mascots with hundreds of thousands of followers each. The channels below are where it starts. You can see all of them, and press every character's card, on the mascots page.
The channels
Marsell HQ
"Who's the Face of Marsell? The winner is always the bean." Marcel Moore and Brandi Awareness are both convinced they are the face of Marsell; the bean quietly does all the work they take credit for. Around them: Alf A. Male, the VP of No; Cole D. Plunge, who glows; Ella Vator, who pitches everyone between floors; Paige Views; Max Imize, whose face gets more maxxed every week; Hugh Mann, the Head of People, a recruiter who is very clearly not human and trying very hard; and Anne Paid, the only competent person in the building, who has been an unpaid intern for eleven years.
Natural Stupidity
"Documentaries about everything. New stupidity every day. Probably." On the surface it is the all-natural, human-made answer to AI slop; underneath it is a love letter to human stupidity, made by an AI. Mr Narrator Guy has calmly narrated the dumbest creatures this planet has coughed up for thirty-one years and has never once raised his voice.
Bober News Network
"Breaking news that's already broken." Bober is BNN's star field reporter: a serious beaver news correspondent covering absurd events, from squirrel politics to the great acorn shortage. Satirical news, real beaver. On Instagram and YouTube.
indie but stupid
"Two idiots and a cat in a bathroom." Lou, Gus and Judith record in a bathroom because the tiles have better tone than any studio they could own. The debut EP, Bathroom Sessions, is six songs about phones, drains, hygiene and a cat. The first single, Existential Splash, is out 23 October. indiebutstupid.com
The Adventures of James Roads
One expedition goes wrong at a time: James Roads, a wildly unlucky explorer with an ego as big as his hat, and Merv, his silent, ever-judgmental chicken. On Instagram.
ASMR Squirrel
"Tiny paws, BIG sounds." A bubble-popping, nut-munching squirrel in a miniature world of small paws, comforting sounds and materials. On Instagram.
How they are made
Every character here is fictional. Their pictures, voices, films and music are made with AI tools; indie but stupid's lyrics are written by a real person. Each channel has a bible, the document that says who the characters are, how they talk and what the show is about, and every episode starts from it. A person approves every script before anything is made, and every post before it goes out, the same as for any business on Marsell.
They are also where Marsell's creative side gets tested hardest. A channel that posts every day is exactly where models start repeating themselves, which is why every episode's creative choices are drawn before a model writes a word. More on that in the chaos engine.
If you're a brand
Tell us what you sell and who you want to reach, and we'll tell you which character fits and what it would make for you. Every deal is labelled as an ad. Write to partners@getmarsell.com.