The Dazzling Mascots

Lionel Wijesiri

Have you ever thought how Olympics would look like without mascots? Probably, a little less commercial and certainly a lot less fun! It’s surprising to find out that the first official Olympic mascot was as recent as the 1972 Munich Games. It’s been a go since then, with sometimes as many as five mascots for a single Olympics.

Is it any wonder then, that the Beijing 2008 Olympics mascots are so rich in symbolic meaning? After all China is a nation of living symbols.

Like the Five Olympic Rings from which they draw their colour and inspiration, Fuwa (as they are collectively called) had served as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship and peace - and good wishes from China - to children all over the world.

Designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who form an intimate circle of friends, Fuwa also embodied the natural characteristics of four of China’s most popular animals — the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow - and the Olympic Flame. Cute, smiling and friendly, the five Olympics mascots have won the hearts of children globally with a red, flame figure proving most popular.

Meaning

The word mascot has been traced back to a dialectic use in Provence and Gascony in France, where it was used to describe anything which brought luck to a household. The word was first popularised in 1880, when French composer Edmond Audran wrote a popular comic operetta titled La Mascotte. Audran’s operetta was so popular that it was translated into English as The Mascot. The word with this definition was then incorporated into many other languages.

History

Since the first mascot in Olympic history made its appearance at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, Olympic Mascots have become a main element of the Olympic image.

As a unique and popular image full of vitality, a mascot was able to materialise the Olympic spirit, communicate the concepts of each Olympic Games, promote the history and culture of the host city and create a festive atmosphere for the Games.

Whatever shapes they have, they fundamentally share a creative rationale, that is, the mascots must be able to convey the theme of the Olympic Games, showcase the distinctive geographical features, history and culture unique to the host city.

Let us browse through the Olympic Mascots of the past. Almost all of them have interesting stories behind them.

Strategy

The original purpose of an Olympic mascot was to give an extra boost to the cultural identity of the host country. Animals native to the area were usually picked to symbolise the Games but stylistic figures and symbols have also been used for representation.

The mascots of the Olympic Games are probably one of the best ways for the host city to market itself. Sure, there are official slogans, songs and logos that brand each host city as unique but the marketing strategy of recent Olympics rests primarily on the mascots.

1972 - Munich Summer Games

Waldi, a long-haired dachshund, was the first official Olympics mascot. He appeared in several flavors - his vertical stripes could contain any three of the five Olympic colours. Waldi is very popular in Bavaria, but he also possesses qualities which are indispensable to an athlete: resistance, tenacity and agility. These are among the reasons he was chosen to be the mascot.

1976 - Montreal Summer Games

It was a beaver called “Amik”, a name taken from the Algonquian language, which is the most popular language amongst the Aboriginal people in Canada. The beaver is the national symbol of Canada.

1980 - Moscow Summer Games

Victor Chizikov, most famous illustrator of children’s books in USSR, designed Misha the bear, whose full name was Mikhail Potapych Toptygin. Misha doll was used extensively during the opening and closing ceremonies, had a TV animated cartoon and appeared on several merchandise products.

1992 - Barcelona Summer Games

Javier Mariscal is the most highly acclaimed artist in Valencia, Spain. It was in 1988 when Mariscal gave birth to Cobi, the funny dog that became the mascot of the Barcelona ‘92 Olympic Games, and turned afterwards into a cartoon character. Even today, Cobi is loved by millions of children throughout the world for his mischievous acts.

1996 - Atlanta Summer Games

Izzy was probably the least successful mascot of all. No one knew exactly what he (or she or it) was supposed to be. Originally, he was called Whatizit or Whatizhee, and Izzy was simply a shortening of those names. It was an amorphous abstract fantasy figure designed by the computer.

1984 - Los Angeles Summer Games

Designed by Walt Disney, Sam is a cartooned Eagle with sheer American characteristics who wears the dress of the legendary American - Uncle Sam with a star-spangled background in red, white and blue, typical colors of USA. Commercial use of mascots was initiated henceforth.

2000 - Sydney Summer Games

Olly, Syd and Millie are three native Australian animals in Australia. They represent earth, air and water. “Olly”, a kookaburra, epitomises the Olympic spirit of generosity (from Olympic); “Syd”, a platypus, represents the environment (from Sydney); “Millie”, an echidna, is a techno-whiz and information guru. (from Millennium)

1988 - Seoul Summer Games

For the 1988 Olympic Games, a little tiger with typical Oriental colour was chosen as the mascot, who was named Hodori. It portrays the friendly and hospitable traditions of the Koreans, and the name Hodori was chosen from the Korean word for “tiger”, and “Dori” is a diminutive for boys in Korea.

2004 - Athens Summer Games

The mascots, Athena and Phevos, with their whacking feet, long necks and puny heads, are based on dolls which are thousands of years old, found at archaeological sites in Greece. Greek mythology had it that Phevos and Athena are brother and sister, named after two Greek gods: Phevos and Athena, goddess of wisdom and patron of the city of Athens.