Olympic mascots are usually fictional characters, representing the cultural heritage of the country where the Games are being held. Mascots are created in simple designs with bright colours to complement the spirit of friendship, bonhomie and fair play that these Games represent. We look at the mascots over the years
1 Waldi – Munich, 1972: The first official mascot in the history of the Olympic Games was introduced in 1972. It’s a dachshund, a popular breed of dog from Germany. It was designed to represent the attributes that athletes possess – resistance, tenacity and agility. The main colour scheme was designed to match the colours of the Olympic rings.
2 Amik – Montreal, 1976: Amik means beaver in Algonquin – Amik appeared with a red strip showcasing the Montreal Games logo. Choosing a beaver was far from random, as the animal is closely linked with the history of Canada, where it appears on the reverse of the five cent coin.
3 Misha – Moscow, 1980: The bear is a familiar animal in Russia, appearing in many popular stories, songs and poems. Misha wore a striped belt around his waist made up of five bands in the colours of the Olympic rings.
4 Sam – Los Angeles, 1984: Sam looks friendly and cheerful to embody the optimism of the Olympic spirit. With his hat featuring the design of the national flag, he exemplifies that he is part of American culture.
5 Hodori – Seoul, 1988: The ‘Ho’ of Hodori comes from the Korean word meaning tiger, while ‘Dori’ is a common masculine title. The tiger appears frequently in Korean popular art and legends. Hodori wears the Olympic rings around his neck. On his head is a typical traditional Korean hat, the sangmo. The ribbon on the hat is in the shape of an ‘S’ for Seoul.
6 Cobi – Barcelona, 1992: The name Cobi is an allusion to COOB ’92, an abbreviation of the Barcelona’92 Olympic Organising Committee. Cobi is a humanised Pyrenean mountain dog, in a “Cubist” style. His expression and three spiky locks stand out, and he has an impressively large wardrobe.
7 Izzy – ATLANTA, 1996: Originally called “Whatizit”, the name Izzy was chosen by 32 American children aged between 7 and 12 from among the following five names: Kirby, Starz, Zack, Gleamer and Izzy. Izzy is blue and wears training shoes. He wears the Olympic rings around his body.
8 Syd, Olly & Millie – Sydney, 2000: Syd is a reference to Sydney, Olly to Olympic and Millie to the new millennium. The three mascots are a duck-billed platypus (Syd), a kookaburra (Olly) and an echidna or spiny anteater (Millie). They symbolise water, air and earth respectively.
9 Phevos & Athena – Athens, 2004: The names of the two mascots are a reference to two gods of Olympus. “Phoebos” is another name for Apollo, the god of light and music; “Athena” is the goddess of wisdom and the protector of the city of Athens. The two mascots thus symbolise the link between ancient Greece and the Olympic Games of the modern era. Phevos wears a blue tunic to recall the sea and colour of the Games.
10 Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, Nini – Beijing 2008: Each name rhymes by repeating the same syllable. It is a traditional Chinese way of showing affection to children. Linking the five names forms the sentence “Welcome to Beijing” (Bei Jing Huan Ying Nin). The mascots represent “Fuwa”, which translates as “good-luck dolls”.
11 Wenlock – London, 2012: Wenlock takes his name from the town of Much Wenlock in Shropshire, which still hosts the traditional Much Wenlock Games. These were one of Pierre de Coubertin’s sources of inspiration for the modern Olympic Games. According to the story by Michael Morpurgo, Wenlock’s metallic look is explained by the fact that he was made from one of the last drops of steel used to build the Olympic Stadium in London.
Vinicius – RIO, 2016:
The name of the Olympic mascot pays tribute to Brazilian musician Vinicius de Moraes. Vinicius is a mix of different Brazilian animals. The design takes inspiration from pop culture, as well as video game and animation characters. Vinicius represents the diversity of the Brazilian people and culture, as well as their exuberant spirit.