The Olympic mascot has been an obligatory attribute of the Games since 1968. At that time, a skier with a big red head – Schuss – was presented in Grenoble. However, unofficially, the first Olympic mascot is considered to be Smokey the Dog, who in 1932 lived in the Olympic Village in Los Angeles. The homeless puppy was so beloved by athletes that they began to take pictures with him after each competition.
Today, as a rule, an animal popular in the state, a fictional creature, or a mythological character is chosen as a mascot. Its mission is to reflect the peculiarities of the host country’s culture, as well as to bring good luck to athletes and energize them with a festive atmosphere.
Mascots reflect the culture and traditions of both the Olympic Movement and the host country. And they also help to advertise the events and partially pay off the organization.
There are several requirements for a mascot. It should be original and embody values such as excellence, friendship, and respect. Below we have collected for you a selection of the most interesting Olympic Mascots created over the many years of the Olympic Games.
The mascot first appeared at the 1968 Olympic Games in Grenoble, France. At that time it was a little man on skis with a red ball instead of the head, and in an original pose. He was the main character of numerous souvenir products, and the Schüss toys became so popular, that the creature became an unofficial symbol of the Grenoble Olympics.
Waldi was the first official Olympic Mascot. It is a bright dachshund dog, which symbolizes the inherent hunting qualities of an athlete, such as speed, endurance, and agility. The designer used all Olympic colors in the coloring of the mascot. After the commercial success of Waldi, the IOC session held in 1972 approved the mascot as a mandatory attribute of the Olympic Games.
The organizers proclaimed these competitions the “Games of Simplicity”. The chosen mascot, the Schneemann snowman, was supposed to reflect this quality. Instead of a bucket, the mascot has a traditional Tyrolean hat on his head. The snowman was not given a name and was simply called in German. Some countries translated the word into their language and called the mascot that way.
Amik is a member of a species of Canadian beaver. These animals are Canada’s national symbol. They are also considered hard-working, persistent, and patient. The red ribbon with the five rings symbol, stylized as a maple leaf, perfectly complements the native Canadian mascot. According to legend, the artist didn’t have enough room to draw on a piece of paper, so Amik’s tail was down.
The name for the raccoon (which is an important animal for the Adirondack mountain region where Lake Placid Township is located), Roni, was chosen because it translates to “raccoon” from the Iroquoian language of the indigenous people of that township. In the original, the raccoon’s coloring contained all the colors of the Olympic rings, and depending on the sport and event the mascot was participating in, the colors changed.
The brown bear is the most obvious choice for the role of the mascot of the Olympic Games in Russia. The bear has been a popular character in Russian fairy tales and stories for centuries and has been the number one animal associated with Russia for centuries. More than 60 variants of sketches were selected for consideration, and the winner was a familiar image, the author of which is children’s illustrator Viktor Chizhikov.
The mascot of the 1984 Winter Olympics was the wolf, an animal that is often found in the forests of the Dinaric Alps region. The name Vučko translates thus, “wolf”. Yugoslav folklore often features the image of the wolf, which embodies courage and strength, as well as symbolizing winter. The mascot is designed in the style of minimalistic illustrations, in a rich black, white, and orange color scheme.
The eagle is the main symbol of the USA, and it was this bird that the organizers chose as the mascot for the 1984 Olympics. The mascot was named Sam, in honor of his uncle, another national symbol. And he was dressed up in the same costume: a cylinder and a bow tie in the colors of the U.S. flag. Sam was drawn by artists from the legendary Walt Disney Company. By the way, there was even a cartoon about the eagle Sam, who got out of difficult situations using the magic of the five Olympic rings.
Initially, the Canadians wanted to make the mascot a brown bear but abandoned the idea because of the resemblance to the Moscow mascot. So the bear became a white bear and also got a supportive sister, Hidi. By the way, this was the first time that the Olympic Games had two mascots at once. The names of the bears are a reference to the popular English-language greetings “Hi!” and “How do you do”.
The mascot for the Seoul Olympics is the Amur tiger, the main hero of Korean legends. To make its image positive and harmless, it was decided to depict the mascot in the form of a small tiger cub. His name was chosen by popular vote. The mascot’s name “Hodori” is derived from the name of the tiger in Korean (“ho”) and the word Koreans affectionately call boys (“Dori”). Hodori wears a traditional Korean sangmo hat on his head and five Olympic rings around his neck.
Magique is a blue ice cube with four cone rays coming out of it. Together with the red cap, a star shape is obtained. The colors symbolize the French flag. The name came about when Maress was rereading the description of the mascot and noticed the word “magique” repeated several times. The star cube was the first mascot since the 1976 Innsbruck games that was not an animal.
Cobi is a very unusual mascot, and there are several reasons for this. First, it was the Jubilee XXV Olympic Games. Secondly, it is a Catalan sheepdog depicted in cubist style. Thirdly, it was named after the abbreviation COOB’92, the organizing committee of the 1992 Games in Barcelona. The author of Kobi was Javier Mariscal, who was later entrusted with the creation of several other characters, and they represented the visual arts and culture of Spain at the Opening Ceremony of the Games.
In 1994, for the first time in history, people became the mascots of the Olympic Games. The names of the mascots refer to the characters of the 13th century Norwegian history, whose fate is closely connected with Lillehammer. In general, Håkon and Kristin are ordinary Norwegian kids. These mascots at the Opening Ceremony of the Games and other events were played by children, not by huge stylized dolls.
This abstract character has the full name Whatizit. And in fact, it is an extremely difficult question to answer. Izzy was the first computer-generated Olympic mascot. It is believed that this mascot was the most failed in the history of the Olympics. Even though the designers did add facial features to the creature, and got him some clothing.
The four owls representing the Nagano Olympics symbolized wisdom, and the first letters of their names were the Japanese equivalent of the word Snowlets. The birds are drawn primitively: with crooked lines, irregular shapes, and scribbles instead of pupils. But that’s their charm and what made them memorable. It’s also the only time there were four mascots at once.
The name of the three mascots had their meanings: Syd was named after Sydney, Olly represented the Olympic spirit and the competitions themselves, and Millie represented the Millennium. These cartoon animals were also the patrons of water, air, and earth. It was the year 2000, and the Australians wanted to beat everyone in symbolism, even the Japanese.
The mascots hare, coyote, and bear had very clear national features. Their images were meant to remind of the city’s once main sources of income: gunpowder, copper, and coal. In addition, these characters symbolized the Olympic motto “Citius, Altius Fortius” (“Faster, Higher, Stronger”). The history of mascots goes back to the folklore of the native Indians of North America. Each character wears a necklace with a rock image of their animal.
Ancient specimens found during excavations have been chosen as mascots for the Olympic Games in Athens. The unusual shape of the characters resembles terracotta dolls in the shape of a bell, which dates back to the 7th century BC. They were named after the god of sun and light Phebus (Phevos) and the goddess of wisdom Athena. These mascots symbolize the link between ancient Greece and the modern Olympic Games.
The Neve snowball and Glitz ice cube, the mascots for the Turin Games, were aimed at a young audience. Among their main qualities, enthusiasm, passion for sport, and respect for the environment stood out. Together they represent what the Winter Olympics cannot be without, and they epitomize winter sports as a whole. Ice and snow are the first association with the Winter Games, and Glitz and Neve is an almost literal translation of these aggregate states of water in Italian.
The Chinese decided to provide each of the five continents with its mascot: fish, panda, antelope, swallow, and child of fire. They created five heroes according to the number of natural elements and gave each of them a name. If you put the five names together, you get the phrase “Welcome to Beijing” (Bei Jing Huan Ying Nin). And together, these talismans are known as Fuwa, which means “good luck” in Chinese.
Vancouver mascots are collective images of real inhabitants of the local fauna and creatures from North American mythology. Miga is a fictional sea bear, and Quatchi is a Sasquatch who dreams of becoming a hockey player. The mascots, being embodiments of mythological tales, performed an important task according to the organizers’ plan – to tell the world about Canada – a country inhabited by different original ethnic groups.
The main mascots at the London Games were one-eyed, alien-like characters named Wenlock and Mandeville. Wenlock is the creature that was born from the last drops of steel that went into the construction of the Olympic Stadium. The lantern on Wenlock’s head refers to the plafonds of the famous black London cabs. And Mandeville was named after the Stoke Mandeville Hospital – the venue was the first place to hold competitions for disabled athletes in 1948.
Three mascots – a leopard, a polar bear, and a bunny – have been chosen for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. The organizing committee announced a nationwide contest in which anyone could take part, regardless of where they lived or their age. In the end, 24,048 works were sent in. The three characters have three different authors. This is also a reference to Unity and Cooperation.
A yellow-colored, monkey or cat-like animal has been chosen as the mascot for the Rio Olympics. It represents Brazil’s diverse and rich flora. Vinicius has the feline flexibility, the agility of a monkey, and the grace of birds. The name of the mascot was chosen in honor of the famous Brazilian musician of the XX century Vinicius de Morais. Together with the Paralympic mascot, a plant named Tom, they symbolize the rich nature of the country.
The white tiger is one of the main characters of Korean mythology. He is considered a sacred animal that protects the local population. Sukhoran is characterized by passion and competitive spirit and is a loyal friend and protector of all athletes, fans, and other participants of the 2018 Winter Olympics. And the symbol of the Paralympic Games, the black bear Bandabi represents kindness and reliability.
The mascot of the 2020 Olympic Games is a character from the digital world who can freely move to reality via the Internet. Students from Japanese schools took part in choosing the name. They settled on Miraitowa, which comes from the Japanese words “mirai” (future) and “towa” (eternity). Miraitowa looks modern and even futuristic, representing progress and the future in general.
Bing Dwen Dwen is a large panda wearing an ice suit like an astronaut. In modern Chinese, the word “Bing” has several meanings, but primarily means ice, and with it, purity and strength. “Dwen Dwen” means healthy, strong, and cheerful. The bright multicolored rings around the mascot’s face represent Beijing’s newest ice and snow arenas built with advanced technology. The heart on the paw represents love and hospitality.
Animated red Phrygian caps became the mascots of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. This headdress is a symbol of the French Republic and represents freedom. The mascot of the Olympics-2024 reminds us of the hard centuries-old past of France and its struggle for equality. In the symbolism of the Paris-2024 mascot, in addition to red, there are blue and white colors. This is a reference to the French tricolor.
Each newly created mascot must necessarily differ from the previous ones, as its purpose is to reflect the identity of the host country, as well as to arouse the sympathy of athletes and spectators. Therefore, the originality of the idea is one of the main criteria in the evaluation of the mascot by the International Olympic Committee. As you have just seen, you should not go overboard with originality either. But you should definitely follow the main requirements.
The mascot should reflect Olympic values: