1 2 up thisrole atalater stage. Duringthe World Football football team’s while artifi (football). At fi sports secrets. whichhidesmanyathletes. Amascot isaknick-knack strengthens thebelief in theirmagical powers among ring competitions. andweakeningbefore the feeling oflonelinessdu- start ducing situationalanxiety, alleviatingstress appearing a specifi habit orasign offl member, circle, sports custom prevailing inaparticular sons ofowning mascots: from gift aclosefriendorfamily of afavorite outfi (ornamentsorparts shells, horseshoes, clothingarticles doggies, pebbles,kitties, characters), donkeys, fairytale dren’s toys: dolls, plushy animals(teddy bears, elephants, whichhave ofchil- objects thecharacter most often, matter ofthejudge’s assessment. subjective inwhichtheeff sports, it was, however, seen mostlyamongathletes practicing male andfemale athletes, independentlyofage orsports; letes’ andvictory. fortune arenaspresence wassupposedto ensure atsports ath- by athletes whobelieved intheirmagical power. Their fi Olympic Mascots rst ofthemwere personalmascots, whichwere carried Sports mascots wereSports popularized especiallyby team success achieved Sport “thanks” to themascots amascot isby manyOwning athletes regarded as The diversity ofmascots isenormous. Mascots are, The trend towards mascots appeared bothamong inthe1920s. Amongthe appearedMascots insport c methodofauto-psychotherapy, aimedatre- t: caps, T-shirts). There are diverse rea- amboyance. rst, smallboys played theroles of ect of performing anexercise ofperforming isa ect cial mascots took it wasthefi was neitheraperson,nor ananimal, onemightsay that special projects, saidthefollowing aboutthemascot: “It blue. Michele Verdier, atthattimetheIOCdirector for dressed innationalcolors ofFrance: white, anddark downhill). this word quickly meansto ski “” was ing down theslope–hence thename “Schuss” (inFrench fi The during theXOlympic Winter inGrenoble Games in1968. ated according Lafargue’s to Madame design, appeared named “Schuss”, withitsheadinshapeoftheglobecre- mascots were introduced. ragdollofaskier Astylized scription “”. with theemblemoffi a rolled uptail. Awhite capecovered thebackofdog , short protrudingcurly coat, earsand alongtrunk, X OlympiadinLos Angeles(1932). “Smoky” hadadark called “Smoky” whichappeared ofthe duringtheGames powers gainedasecret dimension. vision andmarketing, whilethefaithinmascots’ magical made astaggeringcareer interms ofpopularity, artistic rascals. swashbuckling mascots, and “Tips Taps”, whichhadtheappearance of cot, andin1974footballers were accompanied by two Championships in1966,clever “Willie” becamethemas- boy wearing ahuge sombrero on hishead, “Pico” – the following mascots: “Juanito” – a funny Mexican in 1968,theOlympicathletes were accompanied by It was as late as the 1960s when further unoffi wasaslate asthe1960s whenfurther It fi The When mascots appeared they attheOlympicGames During the Games oftheXIXOlympiadinMexicoDuring theGames go- gure quickly ofthemascot resembled askier rst unoffi rst rst isit?’.‘What ” cial Olympicmascot wasalive mutt ve Olympicrings andthein- cial computer graphic design. Each mascot and isdistinctive withelementsofhumororcreatednected by modern con- abstraction, were anembodimentoffairytale invented more andmore sophisticated mascots which given country, to appear. started As timepassed, artists human fi this, anentire “Olympic zoo” cameinto existence. Later, thanksto to thegivencharacteristic region orcountry; of theOlympiadandOlympic Winter Games. cots have to appearduringconsecutive started Games the mostpopulardogbreed inBavaria. called – adachshund-doggie, “” whichrepresented invented1972. Germans thefi oftheXXplans attheGames OlympiadinMunich Olympic symbolismwere Germans, whofulfi background. was written undertheimageofwhite pigeon,ona ofPeace).pic Games The signature “La Paloma delaPaz” motto oftheOlympics: “Los JuegosdelaPaz” Olym- (The Eduardo Terrazas andLance representedWyman. It the “Paloma”, wasasymbolofworld peace; itsauthorswere memorabilia. on posters, offi one ofthesymbolsMexico. Their imageswere found around 9th century; the monumentcontains avast amountofworks ofart. around 9th century; 3. throne inElCastillo, astep pyramid inChichénItza anonymous red jaguar, modeledontheshapeof zala drawing –thesaintemblemofMexico –andthe a friendlybird, basedonmotifs ofthetraditionalquet- Chichén Itza – ruinsoftheMayas inMexico atthe ChichénItza Yucatan Peninsula from At fi At Since thattime, oneorfew mas- variousandattractive The initiators ofintroducing offi At theOlympicsinMexico, white astylized angel, animalsorbirds,rst, Olympicmascots depicted gures representing culturalheritageofthe cial Olympic publications and all sorts of cial Olympicpublicationsandallsorts rst offi cial Olympic mascot il act into mascots cial lled their lled 3 , 40th birthday in2012,unfolds.40th birthday offi pensable element.Andso, ofthe since 1972,thestory Olympic andParalympic Games, becoming theirindis- 1970s, theyhave permanentlyentered symbolismofthe Olympics andensure acommercial success. Since the ofthe message), promote andcountry thehostcity Olympism, theyexpress anoriginal thought(slogan, cots, becausetheyare anexcellent way ofpropagating attachgreatGames signifi memories. thy ofmillions, especially children; theyarouse pleasant of several mascots. They are surrounded by thesympa- the Olympics. separately,They act inpairsorgroups appear duringtheopeningandclosingceremony of mascots run,jump, orridebicycles. ski swim,skate, They orcompetitions oftheOlympicGames. sports Therefore, pecially inform ofdrawing, ascontestants innearlyall for severalacter; years, mascots have beenshown, es- mascotstheir production, were given a “sporty” char- . to legends, connotations orevents relating to citiesor namesconnected ness oftheirauthors. Mascots carry of theOlympicsbutprimarilywithtalentandingenious- lore andnaturalenvironment oftheregion orhostcity withthetradition,folk-unique; itisusuallyconnected by Edmond Audran of Alfred (1840-1901) to thetext cotte”, aFrench opéracomique inthree composed acts, ber 1880inParis, of theinitialperformance after “La Mas- zard). The term entered common usageon28 Decem- “mascoto” (amulet,talisman)or “masco” (sorcerer, wi- “mascotte”, from theProvençal particularly word dialect cial Olympicmascots, whichhave celebrated their The Organizing Committees ofeachtheOlympic Along withthedemandfor and the development of The term “mascot” derives from theFrench word ✸ cance to thechoice ofmas-

3 4 “mascotte”. andpopularized theword gainedhugepopularity luck, costume. The jewelry, whichallegedlybrought good a pendantinshapeoffi produce aspecifi in “La Mascotte” operetta inspired French jewelers to the French text: Duru andHenriCharlesChivot. Below isafragment from The great success Grizier-Montbazon ofMadame The translationto Englishisthefollowing: Lucky istheone, whomtheheavens give amascot. mascots,Are my friends. These envoys ofparadise Heureux celui quelecieldoted’uneMascotte deMascottes,Sont mesamis. Ces envoyés duparadis –abracelet ofproduct with c type gurine of the artist inherstage gurine oftheartist also subjects ofmany anecdotes.also subjects has become athemeofmany publications. are Mascots andthedevelopmentress ofcivilization, ofknowledge enon, whichhasaccompanied peopledespite theprog- andsuccess. fortune bring luck, This complex phenom- andissupposedto a talismanwithmagical properties cot as isahuman, ananimalorathing, whichserves French form: “mascotte”. pedic publications, however, inmostcasesitsoriginal Later, theword spread to otherlanguagesandencyclo- to meanananimal, human,orthingwhichbrought luck. tiated theuseofword ‘mascot’ inEnglishlanguage Englishtitle,translated into English.Its Mascot”,“The ini- enjoyed fameuntiltheendofhisdays. The operetta was cotte” 1700timesandEdmondAudran wasperformed Contemporary encyclopedia entriesstate thatamas- encyclopedia Contemporary years thelasttwenty ofthe19thcentury,In “La Mas- © International Olympic Committee Mascot oftheXX oftheGames Olympiad inMunich(1972) mascot was explained with the fact that dogsofthis race mascot wasexplained withthe fact sociation, Félix Lévitan. Choice ofthe dachshundasthe it to thePresident Press Sports oftheInternational As- inMunich,whohad adogofthisrace andgaveGames man oftheOrganizing Committee for theOlympic withared-wire-haired orblack-colored coat. areears. bred: long-haired Allkinds short-haired, and cal body, paws, short awedged, face andlong extended from burrows oraslapdogs. They have along, cylindri- the group oflimers, usedmainlyfor scaringthegameoff dachshunds. of the1970sonlyinMunichlived about35thousand hadbeencalculated,in Bavaria. thatatthebeginning It at theOlympicsinMunich1972. dog–dachshund,was astylized whoseimageappeared MASCOTS OF THE GAMES OF THE OLYMPIADS The fi The The originator ofthemascot was Willi Daume, Chair- Dachshunds –isabreed ofsmallhuntingdogsfrom Dachshunds belongto themostpopulardogbreed rst offi cial Olympicmascot approved by theIOC

clusive rights to themascot. ganizing Committee for retains the OlympicGames ex- Games, andlater also attheParalympic Games. The Or- oftheOlympiador Games symbols for thenext Winter offi success thatmascots have determined thefact been T-shirts andwasamodelfor key rings, pendantsetc. image ofthedachshundwasputonposters, postcards, was themodelofmascot. dachshund ofaresonant name: “Cherie von Birkenhof”, red,signer long-haired ofthemascot, anda84-day-old ful “Waldi” symbolized happinessandjoy. referred to three colors ofthefi – thecolors ofalpinemeadows andfi andshininglakesalongwithgreenof thesky andyellow posed to refl were Colors ofthedachshundwere alsocolorful. sup- shades –brighter anddarker. The face, the tailandears yellow, whileeachofthecolors hadadditionally two stripesinthree pastelvertical colors: blue, green and plastic. The thoraxof themascot wasdecorated with produced indiff durance, andagility. tenacity traitswhicharehave essential for certain athletes: en- cially accepted by theIOCasoneofOlympic The great demandfor themascot anditsfi The mascot madeastaggeringcommercial career. The A Munichgraphic designer, Aicher, Otl wasthede- The dachshundmascot wasnamed “Waldi” andwas “Waldi” theDachshund ect thelandscapeofBavaria: blue–the ect erent forms andsizes, from plushto ve Olympicrings. Color- elds. Threecolors nancial

5 6 with scales;italsohaswebbed hindfeet. ithasabigthoraxwithfl by law; belongs to theCastoroidea family, isarodent protected toreum, usedasmedicine. At present, thebeaver, which trances. pastcenturies, In theyprovided fi en- their meticuloushomesequippedwithunderwater they cutwiththeirsharpteeth, for of theconstruction lodges”. They usebranchesandtrunksoftrees, which are unrivalledarchitects ofdamsandsocalled “beaver Olympic sailingregatta.” as well ofthe asinthecoat thecity ofarmsKingston, of thisanimalappearsinthecoat ofarmsMontreal, beaver isoneofCanada’s nationalsymbols. The fi justifi Games Chairman oftheOrganizing Committee for theOlympic the beaver, anoffi in from 92countries were welcomed by “” Mascot oftheXXI oftheGames OlympiadinMontreal (1976) dian folklore. “Amik” isthename for beaver inthelan- America. time, inNorth themajorcommercial activity becausethetradeinbeaver furbecame, atthat beaver contributed to theeconomic development of Canada andAmerica.Several years ago, theCanadian and theCanadian beaver (Castor canadensis),living in We distinguishtheEuropean beaver (Castor fi Beavers live alongforested streams andrivers; they Athletes oftheXXI arrivingto theGames Olympiad The beaver to wasalsocloselyconnected theCana- ed thischoice inthefollowing way: “The cial Olympicmascot. RogerRousseau, attened tail, covered ne furandcas- gure ber)

© International Olympic Committee is basedon equality, andmatriarchy. solidarity Iroquois, Ojibwa, Shawnee andother. The social organization ofthesetribes Arapahó,(about 20tribes): Abenaki, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Delaware, Fox, 4. the Olympicposter. of theMontreal Olympics. The mascot alsodecorated around withared stripwhichcarriedtheemblem(logo) tier. Amikhada dark-brown color andhadhisthoraxtied cot: GuySt.Arnaud, Yvon Laroche andPierre Yves Pelle- as anexampleofpatience anddiligence. tongues oftheworld. The beaver isuniversally regarded both plainandsimpleto pronounce by peopleusingall tee for thoughtthattheword theOlympicGames was “Amik” for thebeaver mascot, theOrganizing Commit- the vicinity of the Ottawa River oftheOttawa the vicinity tribes formerly Americain inhabited theareas ofNorth gonquian) ethnicgroup, these intheOjibwa dialect; tribesoftheAlgonquin(Al-guage ofAmericanIndian It isthemostcommon It family”“language amongstnatives ofCanada Three Canadian visual artists wereThree Canadian authorsofthemas- visualartists “Amik” theBeaver 4 . Accepting thename could choosebetween afox, a deerandother animals ofthemascot oftheOlympics.in theselection Viewers program entitled TV theAnimal “In World” participated national symbolsoftheSoviet Union. a personifi presentlegends often themotive ofabearwhichis toconnected an old-Russian tradition;stories andfolk Potapitchname was:Mikhail Toptygin. rings. fi His ful belt;thebelt’s wasinshape offi buckle “”. beige tummy His wastiedaround withacolor- was adarkbrown, fl Mascot oftheXXII oftheGames OlympiadinMoscow (1980) Around ofthe popular Soviet 40thousand spectators The choice ofteddy bearfor anOlympic mascot was The oftheXXII mascot ofGames OlympiadinMoscow

© International Olympic Committee cation ofcourage andstrength. Bearswere gure resembled anathlete. The mascot’s full uff y andjoyful teddy bearnamed ve Olympic ve seal called “Wigri”, popular. whichalso wasvery “Misha” reigned anunoffi XXIII ofthe next Olympiad inLosto theGames Angeles. “” to theAmericanEagle, him,invited standingnext Olympiad, “Mishka” waved goodbye to athletes, while Olympiad. during theopeningceremony oftheXXII oftheGames ground, ofthestadium’s inoneofthesectors tribune formed ahugeimageofthemascot, onagreen back- Olympics. stamps, whichwere validated by aspecialstampofthe toon, waspresent oncommercial andpostage products mascot said: “I wishsuccess”. alsoinacar- acted Misha rings, brooches andpendants. When pressed, theplush ber, , glass, wood andmetal–inform ofkey skiing. practiced ited inBologna, Bratislava andHelsinki. Peace”. illustrationsfor His children’s bookswere exhib- he won afew awards attheexhibition “Satire inFight for sketches of theteddy bear. Prior to theOlympicGames, Before “Misha” wasborn,theauthordrew hundreds of Chizhikov. Animalswere hisfavorite illustrationsubjects. andchildren’sbased visualartist booksillustrator, Victor the XXII Olympiad. was offi ceived mostofthevotes. On19December 1977, “Misha” but theteddy bear, diminutively named “Mishka”, re- In In Tallinn, ofthesailing regatta, thecity alongwith During theclosingceremony oftheXXII ofthe Games A group clothing ofyoung peopledressed incolorful The teddy bearwasmadeofplush,plastic, rub- hisyouth, In Victor Chizhikov played basketball, and The authoroftheadorablemascot wasaMoscow- cially presented of asthemascot oftheGames “Misha” the cial mascot –a small, adorable

7 8 result. “Live Sam” appeared already before thebeginning countries, especiallytheUSSR, alsocontributed to this cluding 83gold. However, the boycott ofthecommunist inLos174 medalsattheOlympic Games Angeles, in- ment waseff seemsthatthemascot’spic goldmedals. It encourage- andwinOlym- American athletes to compete insports “Go for thissloganwassupposedto inspire theGold”; with theAmericanfl ding onthehighestpodiumofOlympicchampions withanOlympictorchpictured helduphighorasstan- nacity, valor, self-confi of thegreatest birds ofprey. The mascot symbolized te- the neck. of it.Abigbow stripes, tie, decorated alsoinwhite-red He alsowore abrown dress, out withawhite tailsticking asbackgroundwhich served to thefi Uncle Sam,colored stripesandabluerim inwhite-red as elegantUncleSamhimself. Hewore atop hatof tional symboloftheUSA. “Sam” theOlympicEaglewas “Uncle Sam” –apersonifi of theOlympics, of usingthenameandcharacteristics States ofAmerica–for thecreation oftheoffi tist usedtheeagle–nationalemblemofUnited the producer – Walt DisneyStudioProductions. The ar- a white head andtail. itsplumageisevenlylong bird darkbrown ofprey; with eagle (zool. Haliaeetusleucocephalus), aca.1-meter- the XXIII OlympiadinLos Angelesby anAmericanbald Mascot oftheXXIII oftheGames OlympiadinLos Angeles (1984) “Sam” theOlympicEaglewasajoyful imitationofone Moore and The authorofthemascot wasRobert Athletes were andspectators invited of to theGames ective becauseAmericanswonective asmany as ag andaninscriptiononhisvest: dence andcourage. Usually, itwas cation ofpatriotismandana- ve Olympicrings. cial mascot dollars. ing 10millions ofthe “eagle mascots” was200million a “goose laying thegoldeneggs”. The revenue from sell- of theOlympics. eagerly took ofthemselves pictures withthebigmascot venues; Olympicathletes the Olympicvillageandsports ally, duringtheOlympics, ahuge “Sam” walkedaround ling throughout theUnited States ofAmerica. Addition- of theOlympicsonOlympictorch relay route, travel-

“Sam” theOlympicEaglealso turnedoutto be © International Olympic Committee “Sam” theOlympicEagle elements constituting awell symbolism. thought-over inEurope.known Boththemascot andthelogowere bolism whichtook from theKorean traditionwaspoorly symbolism ofinternational rapprochement; thissym- heavily committed itselftoOlympiad particularly the Mascot oftheXXIV (1988) oftheGames OlympiadinSeoul etly, andrelentlessly. quickly supposed to ofwildcats:qui- win inaway characteristic ans winOlympic laurels. Representatives ofKorea were such atiger. Hewas, moreover, supposed to helpKore- animal butafriendofthepeople. And atory “” was appears inmany Korean legends, however notas a pred- a yellowish-rust-colored coat inblackstripes. This animal a predator from thefamilyofcats(lengthto 3m)with the Olympics. The Asian (zool. Panthera tigris) is bol ofcourage, strength andvalor–wasthemascot of A young, confi The Organizing Committee for oftheXXIV theGames

© International Olympic Committee tigercub– thesym- dence-inspiring cially along with “Hodori”. and venues. The littletigress “Hosuni” appeared unoffi played the role ofaspecifi ded intheprogram oftheOlympicGames, the tigercub competitions inclu- insports pic athlete whichtook part venues.athletes Created insports in form ofan Olym- in theOlympicvillageand duringcompetition among stadium duringtheopeningceremony oftheOlympics, itwaspresent intheOlympic and meansoftransport; ment ofitshead, theletter “S” –asin “”. the center ofthetigercub’s hatformed, atthemove- oftheOlympics.the hostcity The ribbonhanging from enjoy theOlympicstogether”. Sang-moalsosymbolized whichmeant: community “let’s have funtogether, let us ism ofuniversal meaningto theinternational Olympic to have funtogether. “Hodori” transferred thissymbol- the actors, musiciansandtheaudience inviting them of theribbonthrough whichhe “seizes”, likewithalasso, abriskwhirl andby turninghisheadperforms spectacle “kwanno”. Adancer insucha hatrunsinattheendof “Sang-mo” for –known thetraditionalKorean folk theatre hat withalongribbon,attachedto itin the center, called Olympic ringsandontheheadhewore asmallround friendship andplay. tiger cub, ofagentleandfriendlynature, symbolized mascot wascreated Hyun. by Kim The happy Korean Committee for theOlympicGames. The drawing ofthe from 2295proposals whichfl masculine diminutive). The mascot’s namewaschosen guage means dori–common (ho–tiger; tiger”: “little “Hodori” –onallproducts, souvenirs waseverywhere “Hodori” hadaribbonhungontheneckwithfi The Mascot wasnamed “Hodori” whichinKorean lan- “Hodori” the Tiger c logogram on sports facilities c logogram onsports owed into theOrganizing ve ve -

9 10 Mariscal hadthe samenumber offansascritics. Mariscal found diffi was theauthor ofthemascot. The vision oftheartist fabrics etc.), awarded withnumerous medaldistinctions, (furniture,a welldesigner templates, ofappliedart known (COOB). Javier Mariscal, Catalan visual artist Committee inBarcelona –Comite Organizador Olimpico an abbreviation oftheSpanishnameOrganizing oftheXXVmascot Olympiad. oftheGames The namewas Olympic mascot. andmemorabiliaaswell asthedesign ofthe articles Committee for theOlympicGames, numerous clothing of theOlympicvenues, publicationsoftheOrganizing inspired thearchitectureCatalan anddecorations art dore Dali,JoanMiró, andAntonio Tάpies. suchasSalva- for and artists itsdesigns, avant-garde art Mascot oftheXXV OlympiadinBarcelona oftheGames (1992) A cubistsheepdogcalled “Cobi” waschosenfor the Barcelona ofCatalonia –thecapitalcity isfamous culty ingaining publicapprovalculty ofthemascot.

© International Olympic Committee energy and smile. 1992. This mascot was “Petra”, ashoulderlessgirl, fullof cot whichappeared onthe Paralympics in Barcelona in lona, all Catalonians also started to likehim. lona, allCatalonians also started plastic, swimming poolofBarce- emerged from theport athletes andwhenthe “Great Cobi”, madeofinfl rabilia with “Coby’s” image. other Spanishcitiessoldalready onalarge scalememo- months aheadoftheGames, shopsinBarcelona and theBarcelonaaccessories Olympics. Many sands of T-shirts, caps, bags, keyrings, stickersandother cers ofOlympicmemorabilia. “Cobi” decorated thou- abilities, themascot wasadapted by numerous produ- with theOlympictorch etc. Thanks to versatile sports a runner, swimmer, basketballplayer, fencer, sailor, “Cobi” thatitturnedupinappropriate as an extent sportswear diff practicing contrary, hedrew his “doglike child” ofposes, inallsorts riscal didn’t feel embarrassedby suchopinions. Onthe made funof “Coby”, caricaturingit.However, Javier Ma- since itrefl precisely thereason ofapress witch-hunt againstCoby, altering thetraditionalway ofshowing animals. This was amicably but,atthesametime, abitridiculously. of thisbizarre dogwere childlike. As awhole, itlooked torso. towas connected awideandshort Handsandlegs grimacewith adistinctive andprotruding head ears. Its or, actually, apuppy. abitto nosewas shifted theside, Its diffi racter Javier wasalso adesigner ofthefi Mariscal Ultimately, and ofspectators themascot won hearts Undoubtedly “Cobi” wasaninnovative phenomenon, The avant-garde drawing of “Cobi” presented acha- cult to recognize, yet to showing dog similarity cubistconnotations.ected Many illustrators liveningerent sports, “Coby” upto such “Cobi” theSheepDog rst mas- rst ated Mascot oftheXXVI OlympiadinAtlanta oftheGames (1996) created Since by themascot JohnRyan. washard to de- wasthefi appearance. It fi wasanabstract “The Mascot of the Century oftheOlympicGames” oftheCentury Mascot “The in

© International Olympic Committee rst computer-designed mascot, gure ofachildren’s cartoon-like fi “”. fi entire seriesofshort TV stars.its handandthetorch blazed withcolorful peared indrawings itusuallyheldtheOlympictorch in Olympic fl nager whichlived intheworld offantasy–insidethe sounded proudly, likeawinner. choice ofthenamewasjustifi children from theentire ofAmerica. The for themascot, outofatotal of3300proposals sentfrom ted group of32children aged7-12chosethename “Izzy” name – “Izzy” (avariationoftheterm Whatizit). Aselec- aroused muchcontroversy andcriticismofthemedia. of theXXV OlympiadinBarcelona (1992).Already then,it monstrated duringtheclosingceremony oftheGames a jointcombination ofthewords isit”? “What ne, at fi at ne, The Film produced AnimationStudioRomanInc. an “Izzy” wasafunny yet abitclumsyfi Later, itsappearance waschangedanditgotanew ofthemascotThe wasde- amorphouscharacter rst itwasdescribedasa “Whatizit” whichwas ame. For thisreason whenthemascot ap- Abstract fi lms whose main character was lms whosemaincharacter ed insuchaway that “Izzy” gure “Izzy” gurine ofatee-

11 12

© International Olympic Committee ca. 60cm);itsjaws endwithacorneous bill, as inaduck. ter mammal from theorder ofmonotremes (lengthof – on land, kookaburra (kingfi – onland, kookaburra ral environment. They live:–inwater, platypus echidna protected Australian animalswhichsymbolize the natu- bol oftheentire continent. tector. Today’s Australians regard assym- thekangaroo – Aborigines –wastheirspiritualprimogenitor andpro- amongthem,whichaccordingno kangaroo to natives (kingfi echidna andthekookaburra of Australia and Tasmania: theduck-billed platypus, the cots three animals, endemicto thenaturalenvironment XXVII Olympiad inSydney (2000)choseasoffi Mascots oftheXXVII OlympiadinSydney oftheGames (2000) Platypus The three chosenmascots are specimensofrare and The Organizing Committee for ofthe theGames (zool. Ornithorhynchus anatinus)–isawa- sher) –intheair. se) Tee was There sher). “Syd” thePlatypus, “Millie” theEchidna, cial mas- cial kingfi are closecousins of a stubby tail. AlthoughKokkaburras legswithfour toes and hasshort daggerlikebill. It short, hasabigheadwithcrest anda It rufous underparts. ter. and plumageisgenerallybright, withazure-blue Its and issometimesassociated withechoinghumanlaugh- which emitsashrillingsound, similarto arough outcry terrestrial tree kingfi language ofAustralian natives. large isalarge to very It of theCoraciiformes order; itiscalled “kookaburra” inthe It isanant-andtermite eaterIt andlives inburrows. spines, snoutandaspecialized hasadistinctive tongue. (length ofca.50cm);itsbackitcovered withnumerous leatus) belongsto theorder ofterrestrial monotremes Kookaburra Short-beaked echidna Short-beaked shers, theyare generallynotcloselyassociated with “Olly” theKookaburra belongsto thefamilyofprotected birds sher (lengthfrom 28upto 42cm), (zool. Tachyglossus acu- of Australians Echidna –energy andvigor; “Millie” (from symbolized theenvironment andleadershipqualities their valuablefeatures. oftheXXVII OlympiadinSydneyGames andreferring to water andwhere food canbesearched for easily. ban andresidential areas withtalltrees ornearrunning cooked meatoff young ofotherbirds. They alsogetusedto eatingraw or rous mice, andwilleatinsects, snakes, smallreptiles orthe ing from humidforest to aridsavanna. They are carnivo- water andcanbefound inseveral diff The Platypus named The Platypus “Syd” from (contraction Sydney) All three mascots received namessymbolizingthe ered by humanswhentheylive insubur- erent habitats, rang- commercial product. cots: “Syd”, “Millie” and “Olly” were alsoanexcellent children’s Street”“Sesamie series. TV The Olympicmas- the three amicableanimalsto theanimalsfrom the made ofplush.Polish athletes found resemblance of patterns thanthoseseen innature; theywerecolorful yet designed look, theminmore mals aclose-to-nature andresident ofSydney.a visualartist Hegave theani- nerosity. symbolized the Olympicspiritandge- Olympic Games) and creative ideas, whiletheKookaburra “Olly” (from symbolized thenewmillennium,activeness Millennium) The authorofthemascots Hatton, wasMatthew

13 14 brotherhood, andnoble rivalry. equality The “Athena” lues ofthemodern Olympicmovement such aslegacy, plushandPhevos –blueplush. were madefrom ceramics orcolored plush: Athena – ofthe XXVIIImascots Olympiad. oftheGames Mascots a source ofinspiration to choose Athena andPhevos as terracotta, wood orfabric;ancientGreek dollsbecame BC. to 8th-7thcentury They were madefrom ceramics, and symbolsoffertility. The oldestGreek dollsdate back ture, thedolldeveloped from earlierfi dren, especiallygirls. the In “golden age” ofGreek cul- in . rines, displayed intheNationalArcheological Museum which were modeledon ancientterracotta dollsfi sented thedesigns oftheoffi graph Design” Ltd., hadwon. of Spyros produced Gogos, aGreek by visualartist, “Para- the Assessment Committee announced thatthedesign were qualifi ferent designs and proposals. As many as127proposals from theentire worlddividual artists submitted 196dif- a contest for theOlympicmascot. Design offi for inAthens theOlympicGames (ATHOC) announced oftheXXVIII OlympiadinAthensGames in2004. god oflightandmusic, were theoffi ofAthens,and protector ofthecity andPhevos (Phèvos), cal Greek gods:Athena (Athenà), the goddessofwisdom Mascots oftheXXVIII OlympiadinAthens oftheGames (2004) Gods ofancientGreece were identifi Dolls are theoldestandmost favorite toy ofchil- Two years before theOlympics, theorganizers pre- On 26February 2001theOrganizing Committee Two Greek dolls, ofmythologi- symbolizingcharacters ed to thefi nal stage. 2001, On26October il lmi mascots Olympic cial cial mascots ofthe ed withbasic va- gurines ofgods ces and in- gu-

© International Olympic Committee the epithet “Pythius”. and musical agons patronized by Apollo whocarried thia” oracle);theOlympicsinDelphi includedsports organized since 586BC(thenamederives from the “Py- founder –wasDelphi,where have PythianGames been center ofApollo’s worship –theGames’ mythological on theplace oftheancientPanathenaic stadium. The piad in1896were heldinthestadiumwhichwas built were devoted to Athena. oftheIOlym- The Games Panathenaic organized Games from theyear 566BC, Olympic family”. siblingsand thussymbolized the twin ofthe “bond and Olympiadsofthemodernera.Bothmascots were the modernera,between AncientOlympicsinOlympia ofAncientGreecetute and abridgebetween thehistory and “Phevos” Olympicmascots were supposedto consti- “Athena” and “Phevos” Dolls In ancient Athens the biggest sports event, the ancientAthens thebiggestsports In Mascots oftheXXIX (2008) oftheGames OlympiadinBeijing “peace, friendship, prosperity and harmony” –saiddu- the entire OlympicMovement; theyexpressed wishesof were left. to theopeningceremony oftheOlympics, 1000days eight o’clock intheevening. From 12November 2005 oftheXXIXthe Games Olympiadon 8August 2008,at the beginning ofthecountdown before theopening of panied theevent. The presentation to wasconnected a considerable interest andmediarecognition accom- ly presented onFriday, 11November 2005inBeijing; ofMonkeys. King ted thelegendary fascinated withamythical dragonandJiangsupromo- Fujian province was proposed Gansu theChinesetiger; for the the Tibetan antelope atriskofbecoming extinct; animals; thewestern Chinese Qinghaiprovince lobbied from diff the offi by the “Shanghai Haixin Toys” company. creator ofmascots. They were produced from color plush wasthe anartist, HanMeilin, for itsrichinornamentart. They referred to theorigins ofChinesefolklore, famous their speciesandnature: water, forest, fi elements andpatterns ontheirheadswhichsymbolized rance, diff in 2008. These dolls, stylized althoughsimilarinappea- oftheXXIXcompanied theGames OlympiadinBeijing Five mascots incolors ofthefi Mascots were ofBeijing to aspecialgift theworld and For thefi As many as662designers appliedfor thecreation of cial mascot oftheOlympics. Proposals camein “Yingying” the Tibetan Antelope and “Nini” theSwallow erent regions ofChinaandmainlyreferred to ered from eachotherthrough characteristic rst time, theChinesemascots were offi Stylized dolls: “Beibei” theFish, “Jingjing” thePanda, ve Olympicringsac- re, earth andsky.re, earth cial- “Huanhuan” theOlympicFlame, from thelogo of sales ofmascots andgadgets, carrying mittee for theOlympicGames, announced that profi ment inconsecutive episodes. hundred years’ ofthemodernOlympic Move- history 2007. According to thescenario, mascots illustrated the 55 episodesoftheseries beganinthesecond half of wasfi mated cartoons TV regarded by ancientChineseastheorigins oftheworld. and elementsofnature: water, forest, fi to fi to number andcolors ofthefi ofpeoplewithnature.a harmoniousco-existence The teristic nationaltraitsandthetraditionalphilosophy of culture ofChina;theyexpressedmulti-ethnical charac- in thewholeworld”. ofpeople thatthemascots willmovecertain thehearts liver theOlympicmessageto theentire world. Iamalso friends willbecome popularandwillhelpde- extremely I likeallofthemandbelieve thatthissmallgroup of with somany animalsrepresenting theOlympicspirit. letter inwhichhewrote,latory “China shouldfeel happy ganizing Committee for acongratu- theOlympicGames onstage. performing During aformal gala,large mascots accompanied artists ganizing Committee for (BOCOG). theOlympicGames ring hispresentation LinQi,ChairmanoftheBeijingOr- Lai Ming, marketingdirector ofthe Organizing Com- orderIn to popularize themascots, aseriesofani- The Mascots represented the multi-century and The represented Mascots themulti-century President oftheIOC,Jacques Rogge, sentto theOr- ve Olympicringsandsymbolized thefi lmed inChina. The broadcast of ve mascots were connected re, earth andsky,re, earth ve powers powers ve t

15 16 Olympic rings. the inscription “ 2008” anddrawn were thefi embroidered below itwas logooftheOlympic Games; “Welcome to Beijing”. The mascots’ tummies bore an Chinese phrase: “Bei jinghuanying ni” whichmeant “good-luck dolls”. The fi ried aresonant name “” whichinChinese means children. Together,fi all sion, mascots symbolized joy andplay ofsmall, amused inChina. pressing satisfaction Thus, withtheir expres- peated) syllables, refl of eachthemascots wasformed oftwo identical(re- ying” antelope) and (Tibetan “Nini” (swallow). The name “Jingjing” (panda); “Huanhuan” (Olympic fl the Olympicspirit. Their nameswere: “Beibei” (fi symbolized theOlympicfl the thefi Tibetan antelope andtheswallow; animalsofChina:thefi and characteristic was higherthaninAthens. the OlympicGames, exceeded 300milliondollars and Four ofthemascots represented themostpopular

© International Olympic Committee thetraditionalway ofex- ecting ve oftheOlympicmascots car- ve namesoriginated from the ame and, atthesametime, ebiJnjn Huanhuan Jingjing Beibei sh, thepanda, ame); “Ying- fth fth mascot sh); ve fi ofthe hostoftheOlympics–Beijing. tion onthepart The Olympic fl among thefi main character and theblackOlympicring. dynasty.Song “Jingjing” represented physical strength from thepatterns ofChineseceramics datingbackto the tions. The image ofthelotusplantsonitsheadwastaken the protection ofnature’s resources for future genera- lized man’s needof livinginharmony withnature and brought smile, happinessand joy withitself. symbo- It a panda,symbolizingChineseforests andnature. It Olympic ring. rity, andrepresented patron ofwater sports theblue paintings. “Beibei” wasananchorofgentlenessandpu- patternswavy onitsheadwere takenfrom oldChinese with itselfblessing, auspiciousnessandprosperity. The resenting rivers, lakesandtheChinesesea;itbrought patterns on theheadof themascot wereery inspired The red-white mascot named “Huanhuan” wasthe mascotThe named white-black-green “Jingjing” was The white-blue mascot named The white-blue “Beibei” wasafi ame, afriendly welcoming andthewarmrecep- ve “Fuwa”. symbolized the It sh rep- © International Olympic Committee represented theyellow Olympicring. ying” wasassociated withtrackand fi ofChina. western parts Thanks to its versatility, “Ying- of Tibetan traditionrepresenting culture andSinkiang ornaments onitsheadreferred to traditionalelements wers stemming from coexistence withnature. Decorative and nature. promoted thevaluesofhealthandpo- It the extensiveness oftheChinese landscape, harmony mals to enjoy legalprotection. The mascot symbolized grace andcharm. Tibetan antelopes were thefi was afastandagile Tibetan antelope, moving with ball games;itrepresented thered Olympicring. with Dunhuangpaintings. “Huanhuan” wasthepatron of The yellow-beige-green mascotThe named yellow-beige-green “Yingying” igigNini Yingying eld competitions; it rst ani- rst Dream”. the motto oftheBeijingOlympics: “One World –One from that, their symbolism.Apart “Fuwa” symbolized refl na. “Fuwa” perfectly and symbols, theancientculture characterized ofChi- green Olympicring. The mascot patronized gymnasticsandrepresented the the “Fuwa”, “Nini” wasaninnocent andjoyful creature. and “Yanjing” –istheformer nameofBeijing. Amongst The nameoftheswallow inChineselanguageis “yan”, with itselfwishesofauspiciousnessandsuccess inlife. low. wingssymbolized infi Its A traditionofgoodwishes, expressed through signs The purplegreen mascot named “Nini” wasaswal- thistraditionthroughected nity andspace. broughtnity It

17 18

© LOCOG blue shape wasn’t accidental becausethey were created lined shapes witheye-catching “additions”. Their steel- fi Creativethe creator –theIris Agency. for Wenlock Morpurgo and wasMichael andMandeville of theParalympic Games. concepts The authorofstory the beginnings oftheOlympicMovement andthebirth names ofBritishhistorical background. They bringcloser “Wenlock” andhiscousin “Mandeville”, bothcarrying usually presented bothofthemascots together. offi („Mandeville”)lympic Games inLondon in2012were oftheXXXGames Olympiad(„Wenlock”) andthePara- the BBC’s OneShow”,“The two futuristicmascots ofthe Mascots oftheXXX oftheGames Olympiad inLondon (2012) movies. isthanksto acombination of stream-ction It cially presented. Organizers inLondon oftheGames Both the Mascots haveBoth theMascots anappearance from science The mascots were fi two steel, one-eyed On 19May 2010,duringanevening broadcast of Wenlock Mandeville Mandeville Wenlock () gurines: of victory, withthe quote ofPindar: are Rewards for“There tese cross. medal hadanimageofNike, thegoddess Every received olive wreaths andmedalsinshape oftheMal- with aGreek inscriptionwascarried;additionally, winners ancient Greece. afl Duringtheopening oftheGames inspired by andpopularized moralvalues ofsport Games Wenlock whichtook patronage OlympianSociety over the Penny Brookes established, alsoin Wenlock, theMuch ment ofthevillage’s culturallife. 1850, October In William prehensive physical educationoftheyouth andenrich- “ OlympianGames”, whosetaskwascom- tor andteacher, underthenameof initiated localGames where in1849 (1809-1895),adoc- nor ofthevillageMuch Wenlock inShropshire, , Both mascots were addedthelogoofGames. –onitsrightwrist. and personalbestsduringtheGames “Mandeville” carriedastopwatch for measuringresults forearm,– onitsleft andyellow andgreen –onitsright; responding to thefi resembled theOlympicstadiuminLondon. meras were suppliedwithaneye lensandtheirshape events duringthe OlympicGames. important The ca- “Faces” ofthemascots were videocameras, recording it contained thesametrapezoidal lightas “Wenlock”. agitos –thethree crescents from theParalympics logo; taxi hire sign. “Mandeville’s” headshaperepresented the there wasatrapezoidal light,inspired by theLondon pic medals:gold, silver andbronze; atthetop ofitshead Olympic stadium. from drops ofsteel alloy, usedfor ofthe theconstruction “Wenlock” and “Mandeville” They name “Wenlock” wasgiven to themascot inho- “Wenlock” hadfi “Wenlock’s” headshaperepresented thethree Olym- ve friendshipringsonhiswrists, cor- ve Olympicrings:blue, blackandred ag ag from town thenameofStoke Mandeville inBucking- ofthemodernera. pic Games visit inspired Pierre to organize deCoubertin theOlym- iscommonly705-713) magazine. believed thatthis It l’athlétisme”, inthe “La RevueAthlétique” (No. 12,pp. Olympiques àMuch Wenlock. Unepagedel’histoire de entitled on 25December 1890inanarticle “Les Jeux Much Wenlock OlympianGames, whichhedescribed mmonwealth Games. theSecond after World War, were renamed to theCo- oftheBritishEmpirethe traditionofGames which, and Hadley(1883). These competitions later evolved into (1877) (1866),Birmingham(1867),Shrewsbury tion, undertheaegis ofwhichcompetitions were heldin transformed intoSociety theNationalOlympian Associa- 1865,thelocal 1870, 1875and1889.In Wenlock Olympian “Olympics” –theGreek heldinAthens Games in1859, withorganizers Games. Hekeptclosecontact ofthethen andessay writingcontest intoduced the alsothepoetry and cricketgames. 1859, In William Penny Brookes intro- pentathlon), leapingindistance race aswell asfootball cluded afew trackandfi The program wasconstantly updated; oftheGames itin- ham) ofMuch Wenlock inthecompetitions. participated Glorious Deeds”. Residentsandneighbors(i.a.Birming- The nameofthesecond mascot “Mandeville” comes 1890,Pierre October watchedIn the deCoubertin eld competitions (includingthe later to “Paralympic Games”, hasbegun. whose namewaschangedin1984to “Paralympics”, and “You oftheParalympic are theCoubertin Games”. who saidto Ludwig Guttmannthefamoussentence: were received inaprivate audience by Pope JohnXXIII Federation andtheIOC. oftheGames The participants tronage Games Stoke oftheInternational Mandeville Olympiad),underthepa- oftheXVII theGames after Paralympic were Games heldinRome1960(directly Federation Games (ISMGF)”. The fi They were heldundertheaegis ofthe “International ganized andsubsequentlycontinued onayearly basis. for Games “Stoke theParalyzed” Mandeville were or- tennis were 1952,thefi includedintheGames. In ninepins, trackandfi their feeling thefollowing ofsocialisolation.In years, self-confi motor aswell asmentalrehabilitation, rebuilding the The competitions turnedout to beeff under thenameof “International Wheelchair Games”. organized thefi (1948), thehospital’s neurosurgeon Ludwig Guttmann oftheXIVOlympiadinLondonoccasion oftheGames Centre”Injuries wasestablished. Four years later, onthe 1944,atthelocalhospital, the born. In “National Spinal hamshire, where theideaofParalympic was Games This way atraditionofthe Wheelchair Olympics dence ofhandicappedpeopleandreducing rst unoffi eld, archery, fencing andtable cial gamesinStoke Mandeville bothinective rst rst

19 20 dren, wasproduced especiallyfor collectors. The image amongchil- popularity man, whichenjoyed particular lean hospitality. winter, singing anddancing Tyrol andthefamous Tyro- The represented: littlesnowman character snow and smiled string around itandcheerfully “from earto ear”. rot, bigblackeyes, itwore ared Tyrolean hatwithawhite todirectly itshead. the handsandfeet ofthelittlesnowman were attached visual artist. The mascot wasmadefrom white plastic; designer of themascot was Walter Poetsch, anAustrian “Mandele” called thusitwasoften “Schneemandl”. The named wasalittlesnowman ) (inGerman: It at theXIIOlympic Winter in1976. inInnsbruck Games Mascot oftheXII Olympic Winter inInnsbruck(1976) Games MASCOTS OF THE OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES A second version ofthemascot, alittleplush snow- The littlesnowman hadared noseinshapeofacar- fi The rst offi cial mascot ofthe Winter appeared Games “Mandele” theLittleSnowman present in all sports facilitiesandvenues.present inallsports bruck. The littleOlympicsnowman mascots were also ofmemorabiliafrom the all sorts Winter inInns- Games of the “Mandele” littlesnowman mascot wasfound on © International Olympic Committee can success. They live mainly inforests and onrivers but inLakePlacidprinted onits torso.Games The mascot hadtheemblemofXIIIOlympic Winter outfi inski shown asaskier ble gogglescarriedby Hence, skiers. “” wasusually face coloring, aswell asitsbig, prominent eyes, resem- eyes, contrasting sharplywiththesurrounding white believed thatthearea ofblackfuraround theraccoons the Olympicswashighlyaccurate. This isbecauseitwas domesticated. The choice ofraccoon for themascot of bred by humansonfarms. The animal becomes easily (25 cmlong).For thisreason, theraccoon issometimes long, colorbronze-gray andacharacteristic stripedtail animal (ca.65-80cmlong)hasvaluablefurofayellow- coon (zool. Procyon lotor), whichwasnamed “Roni”. The Placid wasanarboreal mammal–therac- predatory Mascot oftheXIIIOlympic Winter inLake Games Placid(1980) Raccoons areRaccoons associated withthesymbol ofAmeri- The oftheXIIIOlympic Mascot Winter inLake Games

© International Olympic Committee equipment. t andwithski the Great New York State Fair inSyracuse. program “Good Day America” aswell as guestsvisiting comed theviewers oftheABC Corporation’s popular TV inLake Placid,Games themascot oftheraccoon wel- to callthewhite raccoon orthesmallraccoon. Ati-Ron,Niwa-a whichwere namesusedby theIroquois the irokua-kaddo, tongue suchasOniente Ati-Ron and ten by JudithDrumm,containing many expressions in dian tribes. Amongthemwasthe culture”“Iroquois writ- Tom read alotof books aboutthelife ofAmericanIn- rival ofwhite settlers. Before inventing thename “Roni”, tribe ofIroquoiswhodwelt theseareas before thear- the raccoon’s name, from usedby the AmericanIndians friendly raccoon “Roni”. wasanabbreviated form It of Tom from Guilderland, Golonka NY, whonamedthe boy withafamilynameofPolisha 12-year-old origin, live to seetheOlympics. named “Rocky” from LakePlacidwhich, however, didn’t company. The modelfor themascot wasareal raccoon whiletheproducer – Moss, anartist, “Capital Sports” for theOlympic Winter Games. The winnerwasDonald which wasannounced by the Organizing Committee Olympic mascot from sentto 500projects thecontest, the nameofraccoon inmany languages. thing. Hence thenickname “washer” addedto isoften in suchaway itseemsasiftheywere washingsome- rinse theirfood inwater. addition,theyfl In both carnivores andherbivores butbefore eatingthey oflivingconditions.are ableto adaptto allsorts They are Long before theopeningofXIIIOlympic Winter The competition for themascots namewaswon by drawingA stylized oftheraccoon waschosenasthe “Roni” theRaccoon ap theirpaws

21 22 wolves intheregion. possible to changetheunfavorable stereotype about skills. upforway hislackofsports making he showed ambition,fi skier, onnumerous drawings; jumperandaskater aski and broadcasts.cles, radioreports Heappeared as a TV neyland. “Vučko” wasahero ofthousandspress arti- resembled thefunny ofDis- characters andwell-known the beginning, hearoused positive feelings, since he most expressive andsuccessful Olympicmascots. From (vuk). mascot term derived for from wolf theSerbo-Croatian fi attributes: courage andstrength, neededby athletes in the wolf cubastheOlympicmascot wasmadedueto its a mountaingoatandweasel. The decisionto choose other contest fi popular Yugoslav newspapers, acompetition after with was chosenastheOlympicmascot by readers ofafew Jože Trobec from attheSava Kranj River. The wolf cub and smile. creator named His wasaSlovenian artist rajevo look wasamountainwolf cubwithaknowing Mascot oftheXIVOlympic Winter inSarajevo Games (1984) ght for Olympicmedals. The name “Vučko” given to the According to theIOC,thanksto themascot itwas design, terms ofartistic In “Vučko” belongedto the The mascot oftheXIVOlympic Winter inSa- Games nalists: asnowball, alamb, ahedgehog, ghting spiritandcourage, this

© International Olympic Committee “Vučko” the Wolf Cub ” and inFrench: àCalgary”.“Rassemblez-vous cial languages ofCanada –inEnglish: “Come Together in in two offi in Calgary to theOlympicGames spectators ofCanadians.hospitality The pairinvited allathletes and school inCalgary. The siblingspersonifi Johnstone,friendly mascots wasKim aschoolgirl from a “Hidy”, andtheboy “Howdy”. The godmother ofthe names took aslongthree years. Olympic Winter Games. The choice ofmascots andtheir fl projects and ortheOlympic Winter Games. As many as7000 wasthe fi It andproducedSheila Scott by “Great Productions”. Scott were welcomedgary by two polarbearcubs, created by Mascots Olympic oftheXV Winter (1988) inCalgary Games The polarbearcubswere siblings. The girl wascalled Olympic Participants oftheXV Winter inCal- Games owed into theOrganizing Committee for the ofOlympiads rst pairofmascots inhistory ed cordiality and

© International Olympic Committee “Hidy” and “Howdy” Polar Cubs Bear - will to win. courage, resistanceLeaf to diffi Country: pic athletes thequalitiesof the fi suits), were supposed to triggeramongCanadian Olym- tions. difficultcondi-tablished thenewstate inremarkably and hunters –thefirstsettlersofCanada. They es- tribes,Indian were lonelytraversed by adventurers forests, fullofwildgameandinhabited by American dwelling region. thisArctic freezing winter andlive intheneighborhoodofpeople, lar bears(zool. Ursusmaritimus)remain during active Mascots, referring to thosetimes(dressed incowboy Centuries ago, theseextensive areas, covered with contrast toIn thebrown bearwhichhibernates, po- rst settlers of the Maple rst settlersoftheMaple culty and the and culty

23 24 tial in their daily work. tial intheirdailywork. The terminals were installedinall ofthe abouthistory knowledge Winter Games, essen- to aspecialeducationalprogram, volunteers gained of volunteers involved inhelpingwiththeGames. Thanks grammed into computer terminals, usedby thousands unteers ofthe waspro- It Winter inAlbertville. Games ofhatwore infairytales. head –atype by dwarfs red hatwithasmallpompomonstringdecorated the colors ofFrance: red, white androyal blue. Apointed, of starandmagic. The mascot’s dress was innational mountain impandthenamereferred to theassociation a uniquestarshape. The mascot resembled astar-shaped puter drawing andwasdesigned by PhilippeMairesse in vented by Corinne RequetwhobaseditonanIBMcom- and theorganizers –fabulousprofi because itwassupposedto bringtheFrench team luck the silence andpeace oftheirinhabitants. local villagesand, withasudden,upsetting giggle, broke spirit which,according to oldfolk legends, once haunted imp won theOlympiccontest –amischievous mountain symbol oftheSavoy Alpineregion. Ultimately, asnow wasamountaingoat–the Winter inAlbertville Games Mascot Olympic oftheXVI Winter (1992) inAlbertville Games “” the role ofcoach to performed thevol- This mysterious mascot withaplayful smilewasin- The mascot wascalled “Magique” (magician, wizard), The original concept Olympic ofthemascot oftheXVI ts.

XVI Olympic XVI Winter inAlbertville. Games spectacular, simplymagical, openingceremony ofthe at several places andindiff program, resultsGames athletes, etc. sports terested information aboutthe could obtainnecessary schools, where, withthehelpof “Magique”, allthosein- ofplaces: onOlympicvenues,sorts intravel agencies, at © International Olympic Committee During theGames, the “Magique” mascot appeared “Magique” theSnow Imp erent alsoledthe situations. It man fi mer. They were thefi Olympic mascots oftheXVII Winter inLilleham- Games designed apairofroyal as children: HåkonandKristin Mascots Olympic oftheXVII Winter inLillehammer(1994) Games They were produced ofmaterials andindif- from allsorts Olympic which carriedthelogoofXVII Winter Games. royal children clothing, dressed intraditionalNorwegian ofNorway.in 1217,HåkonbecametheKing Sverre,tin, daughter ofKing granted themrefuge. Later, Duringtheescape, Håkon’sdalen inthenorth. auntKris- through forestschild onskis andsnowstorms to Øster- grandson Sverre, ofKing andforced theirway withthe Håkon,the night from Lillehammerwitha18-month-old During clashes, two royal soldiersfl fought awaragainstBaglers, hisavid for power enemies. of Norway, –theBirkebeiners, backedby hissuporters ground. Norwegian visual artists Kari and Kari Werner visualartists Norwegian Grossmann Mascots wereMascots presented astwo fair-haired, blue-eyed Legend says thatinthe13thcentury, Sverre theKing gures andthefi rst Olympicmascots inform ofhu- rst mascots withahistorical back- ed theenemy at “Håkon” and “Kristin” Children Pair

© International Olympic Committee occasional publications. decorated posters ofthe of Winter andallsorts Games rines, plastic souvenirs andmetal ornaments. They also ferent sizes e.g. wooden asplushpuppets, fi carved gu-

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© International Olympic Committee scalloping. Their bigforward-facing eyes and a sharp wingspan. They have athickwhite plumagewithdark have body, achunky about 60cmlong, withaca.150cm family belongto bird aprotected predatory species. They forand thesymbolofrespect thenaturalenvironment. “Yukinko” –becamemascots oftheOlympicsinNagano and thefour owls snowy – “Snowlets”, inJapanese order nottoIn frighten themaway, thetrackwaschanged a group owls ofsnowy –aprotected species–wasfound. “Snowple”, inJapaneselanguage “Okajo”. Olympic wasnamed Winter inNagano(1998).It Gamess wasdesigned astheOlympicmascot oftheXVIII suki, accordingMatsushita to theconcept Oot- ofMasako Susumu a smallpompom,designed by aJapaneseartist Mascots Olympic oftheXVIII Winter inNagano(1998) Games Snowy owlsSnowy (zool. Buboscandiaca) from theStrigidae However, tracks duringtheblazingofOlympicski A littleweasel, dressed inred jacketandcapwith “Sukki”, “Nokki”,and “Tsukki”Snowlets “Lekki” probably for marketing purposes. eyes. painted thewhite owlsThe indiff artist expression with acharacteristic ofowl’smated cartoons blance owls. to snowy They were ratheravant-garde ani- shu andShikoku. the four Honshū, Kyu- mainJapanese islands:Hokkaido, Olympic Games. Four owls represented simultaneously bolized oneofthefour consecutive years between the “Sukki”, “Nokki”, “Lekki” and “Tsukki”. Eachofthemsym- from merging thefi are regardedca. Owls asthesymbolofwisdom. hilly areas Ameri- of Scandinavia, Central Asia andNorth and duskare theirtimeofhunting. They live ontreeless, excellent eyesight (binocularvision)andhearing. Dawn hooked beakmakethemeasyto recognize. They have The images of mascots pictured very littleresem-The imagesofmascots very pictured The owls, Englishnameofsnowy “Snowlets”, comes rstletters oftheowls’ namescalled: erent colors © International Olympic Committee of ayellowish pelt withgrey andblack maculae. pearance of asmallwolf (ca.1mlongand55cm stand), coat andamassive bodybuild; a predator (ca.1.2m –2.5mbodylength)ofmainlyblack fur onthetipsofitsears; for winter of itmoltsinto awhite pelagewithblacktufts is colored invariousshadesofbrown, andinpreparation which hasachangeablecoat insummerthecoat color; canus), smallerthantheEuropean hare (ca.55cmlong) Mountains, astheGames’Rocky mascots. They were: mals from the familyofmammals, livinginforests ofthe chosethree inSaltLakeCity protectedter Games ani- Mascots oftheXIXOlympic Winter Lake inSalt City(2002) Games a coyote an American blackbear a whitehare The Organizing Committee for theXIXOlympic Win- (zool. Canis latrans),apredator, withtheap- –asnowshoe hare (zool. Lepus ameri- “Coal” and theBlackBear “Copper” theCoyote (zool. Ursusamericanus), “Powder” theSnowshoe Hare, Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games the XIXOlympic Winter Games. At the sametime, the 1000 daysexactly before theopeningceremony of Publicis. inspiration for authorsoftheGames’ mascots: Landor/ drawings ofanimalsinUtahState becameasource of living inaccordance withthe naturalenvironment. Cave people theesteem for andrespect theanimalworld and and native stories whichtaughtentire generationsof tive cave petroglyphs becameabaseofbeliefs, legends silhouettes ofanimalswhichlived inthatarea. The primi- inhabitants oftheState ofUtah–engraved onrock walls environment and legendsoftheAmerican West. The offi The Centuries tribes–indigenous agoAmericanIndian These three mascots symbolized tradition,natural cial presentation of themascots wasmade

27 28 when the sun was too close to the earth andwasburn- when thesunwastoo closeto theearth Citius –Faster. The Native Americanlegend says that mountain peaksandthehugestrength ofthebear. ofthecoyote andthe ability the agility to climbuphigh of theseanimals:thespeedandkeennesshare, cot. The stories alsoexpressed and character thetype and theselegendsare refl inthelegendsoflocalAmericanIndians, jor characters symbolism oftheAmericanIndians. The animalsare ma- to theanimalto underlinetheirconnection picturing with anoriginal AnasaziorFremont-style petroglyph Stronger). Eachmascot wore acharmaround itsneck Latin Olympicmotto Citius-Altius-Fortius (Faster, Higher, the coyote – “Copper” andthebear– “Coal”. the mascots were named:themountainhare – “Powder”, children intheState ofUtah. as 42000proposals were submitted, mainlyfrom school- form thebondofchildren withtheOlympics”. As many and theyouth inlinewiththeslogan: “Olympic Mascots children wasabroadly propagated ofactivating It action Names for theGames” on1July2000. campaign started announced acontest for namesofmascots. The “Three The “Powder”snowshoe featuresDistinctive oftheseanimalsrefl Having regard to theanimals’ naturalcoat coloration, ected in the story ofeachmas- inthestory ected hare represented theword etd the ected delight. by … entertained “real” Olympicmascots, to theirgreat luck duringthestay attheOlympicGames. a marketingsuccess andbuyers –joy. They alsoforetold venues andintheOlympicvillage, assuringorganizers downtown, inhotels,the airport, restaurants, atOlympic were decorations,dants, stained-glass cartoons) soldat bags,with imagesofmascots (T-shirts, keyrings, pen- chase thebearacross thenightsky, asconstellations. bear. themighty kill Today thesonsofthesehunters still Native Americantalesays thathunters were never ableto strength, represented theword Fortius –Stronger. The the people. people. Hereturned andbrought warmthandlightto the highestmountaintop andstole afl froze thecoyotethe earth andturneddark, climbedto tain peaks. The Native Americanlegendsays thatwhen –becauseitwas ableto climbupto– Higher themoun- sky, cooling theearth. arrow into thesun. This causeditto drop lower inthe ing it,thehare ranto thetop ofamountain,andshother Beneath the ski jump the spectators andfanswere jumpthespectators Beneath theski Plush mascots ($20apiece) andotherknick-knacks The “Coal” blackbear The “Copper”coyote , aneternal symbolofpower and represented theword Altius ame from thefi re re mascots enjoyed agreat demand. onmascots’ wasdepicted ter Games dresses. The plush cube dressed inabluecostume. The emblemofthe Win- gant snowball dressed inared costume; “Gliz” wasanice be held. ice, inlackofwhichtheOlympic Winter could not Games refl cots petition. According to theauthor’s intention, bothmas- Olympic valuesoffriendship, fairplay andspiritofcom- Pedro Albuquerque saidhismascots represented the a snowball andanice cubenamed “Neve” and “Gliz”. resembling characters Olympic mascots: two cartoon emony ofthe Winter Games, organizers presented the tistic inspirationinwinter landscape. guese designer, Pedro Albuquerque, whofound hisar- Games. The contest waswon Portu- by a 38-year-old tional contest for themascots oftheXX Olympic Winter Olympic announced aninterna- Winter (TOROC) Games Mascots oftheXX Olympic Winter in Games Turin (2006) “Neve” was a roundly shaped, delicate, nice andele- 2004,500days September In before theopeningcer- On 25March 2003theOrganizing Committee for the ected two natural elements of winter: snow twonaturalelementsofwinter: and ected “Neve” theSnowball and “Gliz” theIce Cube

© International Olympic Committee books, cartoons andcomputerbooks, games for cartoons children. energy. resembled Mascots from thecharacters comic were asymboloftheyoung generation,fulloflife and with joy, enthusiasm, passionandculture. Together they Both ofthemascots smiledplayfully andradiated

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© International Olympic Committee Mascots oftheXXI Olympic Winter in Games (2010) chest and sides, andawhite patch above andbehind the of Vancouver, white hasablackback, BritishColombia. It of about5tons; itlives inthePacifi family, Cetacea order, 6-10meters longwith theweight whale, mammaloftheDelphinidae isapredatory killer kermode bear. Orca (zool. Orcinus orca), as also known Canada. dian tribes, were thefi to Canadian legendsandbeliefs ofprimalAmericanIn- studio. creatures portrayed Mascots which,according Murphyand Michael andproduced by Design”“Meomi Winter Games. The mascots were designed by Vicki Wong nying them)were chosenasmascots oftheXXI Olympic mascots) and “Mukmuk” (an unoffi Three named characters “Miga”, “Quatchi” (offi “Miga” wasamythical seabear, orca and part part “Miga” Bear, theMythicalSea “Quatchi” theSasquatch rst to inhabitthe Pacifi and “Mukmuk” the Vancouver IslandMarmot cial mascot accompa- c Ocean in the vicinity c Ocean inthevicinity c Coast of cial fi eye. hasarounded head, It large and rounded pectoral of the mascot derived from the English name: “Sas- snowboarding. the logoof Winter Games. The mascot represented was wrappedaround withagreen scarf, whichcontained a white face, white tummy andablackdorsalfi the kermodeibearwasalsocalledas “Bear Spirit”. at thewithersreaches 1.60m.According to oldlegends, longtorso height (2.5m)andwidefeet.a longneck, Its or creamy-colored headisrelatively coat. Its smallwith coasts andice fi – themostcommon white bear, inhabitingislands, ns andalongtriangular-shapeddorsalfi “Quatchi” wasthesecond offi “Miga” resembled ateddy bear, colored blackwith Kermode bear(zool. Ursusamericanus kermodei) elds round the North Pole.elds round hasawhite theNorth It cial mascot. The name mascot. The cial n. n. Its neck n. Its accompanied by afriendly, unoffi ture. represented It . – ared-brown, shaggymascot resembled awildcrea- Americanequivalentof istheNorth It “Yeti”. Quatchi past, itdwelt themysterious forests of Western Canada. legends,can Indian moving ontwo long, bigfeet. the In like creature (anthropoid), from well-known theAmeri- ape- Sasquatch wasabig(ca.2m–2.40tall)hairy quatch” creature), asthe alsoknown (ape-like “Big Foot”. The offi The cialmascots “Miga” and “Quatchi” were often cial mascot named “O Canada”. ing Hearts” –takenfrom theanthemofCanada entitled XXI Olympic Winter in Games Vancouver: Glow- “With when alarmed. with white usesloudwhistles patches andalongtail. It body,marmot hasachunky achocolate-brown furcolor vancouverensis), rodent from thefamilyofSciuridae. The “Mukmuk” –a Vancouver Islandmarmot(zool. Marmota All three mascots represented thesloganof

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