diff --git a/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests/Resources/special-skin/pippidonclear.png b/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests/Resources/special-skin/pippidonclear.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c5bcdbd3fc
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diff --git a/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests/Resources/special-skin/pippidonfail.png b/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests/Resources/special-skin/pippidonfail.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..39cf737285
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diff --git a/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests/Resources/special-skin/pippidonidle.png b/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests/Resources/special-skin/pippidonidle.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4c3b2bfec9
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diff --git a/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests/Resources/special-skin/pippidonkiai.png b/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests/Resources/special-skin/pippidonkiai.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7de00b5390
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diff --git a/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests/Skinning/TestSceneDrawableTaikoMascot.cs b/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests/Skinning/TestSceneDrawableTaikoMascot.cs
index cb6a0decde..47d8a5c012 100644
--- a/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests/Skinning/TestSceneDrawableTaikoMascot.cs
+++ b/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests/Skinning/TestSceneDrawableTaikoMascot.cs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ using NUnit.Framework;
 using osu.Framework.Allocation;
 using osu.Framework.Extensions.IEnumerableExtensions;
 using osu.Framework.Graphics;
+using osu.Framework.Graphics.Animations;
 using osu.Framework.Testing;
 using osu.Game.Beatmaps;
 using osu.Game.Beatmaps.ControlPoints;
@@ -36,6 +37,10 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests.Skinning
         private TaikoScoreProcessor scoreProcessor;
 
         private IEnumerable<DrawableTaikoMascot> mascots => this.ChildrenOfType<DrawableTaikoMascot>();
+
+        private IEnumerable<DrawableTaikoMascot> animatedMascots =>
+            mascots.Where(mascot => mascot.ChildrenOfType<TextureAnimation>().All(animation => animation.FrameCount > 0));
+
         private IEnumerable<TaikoPlayfield> playfields => this.ChildrenOfType<TaikoPlayfield>();
 
         [SetUp]
@@ -72,11 +77,11 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests.Skinning
 
             AddStep("set clear state", () => mascots.ForEach(mascot => mascot.State.Value = TaikoMascotAnimationState.Clear));
             AddStep("miss", () => mascots.ForEach(mascot => mascot.LastResult.Value = new JudgementResult(new Hit(), new TaikoJudgement()) { Type = HitResult.Miss }));
-            AddAssert("skins with animations remain in clear state", () => someMascotsIn(TaikoMascotAnimationState.Clear));
+            AddAssert("skins with animations remain in clear state", () => animatedMascotsIn(TaikoMascotAnimationState.Clear));
             AddUntilStep("state reverts to fail", () => allMascotsIn(TaikoMascotAnimationState.Fail));
 
             AddStep("set clear state again", () => mascots.ForEach(mascot => mascot.State.Value = TaikoMascotAnimationState.Clear));
-            AddAssert("skins with animations change to clear", () => someMascotsIn(TaikoMascotAnimationState.Clear));
+            AddAssert("skins with animations change to clear", () => animatedMascotsIn(TaikoMascotAnimationState.Clear));
         }
 
         [Test]
@@ -186,10 +191,18 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests.Skinning
 
         private void assertStateAfterResult(JudgementResult judgementResult, TaikoMascotAnimationState expectedState)
         {
-            AddStep($"{judgementResult.Type.ToString().ToLower()} result for {judgementResult.Judgement.GetType().Name.Humanize(LetterCasing.LowerCase)}",
-                () => applyNewResult(judgementResult));
+            TaikoMascotAnimationState[] mascotStates = null;
 
-            AddAssert($"state is {expectedState.ToString().ToLower()}", () => allMascotsIn(expectedState));
+            AddStep($"{judgementResult.Type.ToString().ToLower()} result for {judgementResult.Judgement.GetType().Name.Humanize(LetterCasing.LowerCase)}",
+                () =>
+                {
+                    applyNewResult(judgementResult);
+                    // store the states as soon as possible, so that the delay between steps doesn't incorrectly fail the test
+                    // due to not checking if the state changed quickly enough.
+                    Schedule(() => mascotStates = animatedMascots.Select(mascot => mascot.State.Value).ToArray());
+                });
+
+            AddAssert($"state is {expectedState.ToString().ToLower()}", () => mascotStates.All(state => state == expectedState));
         }
 
         private void applyNewResult(JudgementResult judgementResult)
@@ -211,6 +224,6 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Tests.Skinning
         }
 
         private bool allMascotsIn(TaikoMascotAnimationState state) => mascots.All(d => d.State.Value == state);
-        private bool someMascotsIn(TaikoMascotAnimationState state) => mascots.Any(d => d.State.Value == state);
+        private bool animatedMascotsIn(TaikoMascotAnimationState state) => animatedMascots.Any(d => d.State.Value == state);
     }
 }
diff --git a/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko/Skinning/TaikoLegacySkinTransformer.cs b/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko/Skinning/TaikoLegacySkinTransformer.cs
index 23d675cfb0..f032c5f485 100644
--- a/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko/Skinning/TaikoLegacySkinTransformer.cs
+++ b/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko/Skinning/TaikoLegacySkinTransformer.cs
@@ -91,10 +91,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.Skinning
                     return null;
 
                 case TaikoSkinComponents.Mascot:
-                    if (GetTexture("pippidonclear0") != null)
-                        return new DrawableTaikoMascot();
-
-                    return null;
+                    return new DrawableTaikoMascot();
             }
 
             return Source.GetDrawableComponent(component);
diff --git a/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko/UI/TaikoMascotAnimation.cs b/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko/UI/TaikoMascotAnimation.cs
index 6f25a5f662..9c76aea54c 100644
--- a/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko/UI/TaikoMascotAnimation.cs
+++ b/osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko/UI/TaikoMascotAnimation.cs
@@ -128,6 +128,13 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets.Taiko.UI
         }
 
         private static Texture getAnimationFrame(ISkin skin, TaikoMascotAnimationState state, int frameIndex)
-            => skin.GetTexture($"pippidon{state.ToString().ToLower()}{frameIndex}");
+        {
+            var texture = skin.GetTexture($"pippidon{state.ToString().ToLower()}{frameIndex}");
+
+            if (frameIndex == 0 && texture == null)
+                texture = skin.GetTexture($"pippidon{state.ToString().ToLower()}");
+
+            return texture;
+        }
     }
 }