Mozilla unveiled a new mascot named Kit: it's not a fox.

A few days ago, users noticed that Mozilla had changed its avatar on its social media accounts. Instead of the recognizable logo with a fiery fox on a purple background, only a background and a rather obscure circle remained. Even then, fans speculated that the developer of the popular browser was working on a rebranding, and yesterday, March 17, a post appeared on the official Mozilla blog that explained it all. It turns out the company had been working on a new brand mascot, named Kit, which will now be used throughout Firefox.

“And as we enter a new era of the internet—an era shaped by artificial intelligence and a web that’s increasingly hard to trust—Kit is our way to show our support, a companion that brings a little warmth to your Firefox browser,” the company’s official blog says.

Company representatives also announced that the new mascot will now be used both within and outside of the browser. For example, the character will be featured on the browser's home page when users first start using it, plus Kit will appear when changing settings, enabling cross-browser synchronization, and more. There's even the option to set Kit as the browser's wallpaper when creating a new tab. And, naturally, the company will now use the new character in advertising campaigns, on its social media channels, blog, and even at offline events.

"Kit is a companion, not a commentator. It's not here to make witty remarks. Kit appears as a small signal that Firefox is working for you, and then steps back so you can get back to work," the browser's developers state.

However, this is already being actively discussed on social media. The main problem with the new mascot is that it's not actually a fox. The company's artist explained that at one point, the team wondered whether Kit should look more like a red panda than a fox.

"We eventually came to the conclusion that Kit is neither a fox nor a red panda. Kit is a Firefox, a unique creature that combines the traits of a fox and a red panda, and perhaps even a little fire magic," explains Marco Palmieri, an illustrator at JKR.

Naturally, such drastic changes will not please everyone, but, on the other hand, this will not affect Firefox's functionality in any way.

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