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List of Olympic mascots facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Museo del Comité Olímpico Argentino en marzo de 2024 - BugWarp (178)
Some Olympic mascot dolls on display at the Argentine Olympic Committee museum.

The Olympic mascots are fictional characters, usually an animal native to the area or human figures, who represent the cultural heritage of the place where the Olympic and Paralympic Games are taking place. Ever since the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the Olympic Games have always had a mascot. The first major mascot in the Summer Olympic Games was Misha in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Starting with the 2010 Vancouver mascots (since 1992), the Olympic and Paralympic mascots have been presented together.

History

The first Olympic mascot was born at the Grenoble Olympic Games in 1968. It was named "Schuss" and it was a little man on skis, designed in an abstract form and painted in the colors of France: blue, red and white. However, the first official Olympic mascot appeared in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. It was Waldi, a Dachshund dog, a popular breed in Bavaria and it represented the attributes required for athletes – resistance, tenacity and agility. On it were three of the colors of the Olympic flag (blue, yellow, green).

The success of those first mascots helped the idea of a mascot become a symbol of the Olympic Games and developed into an institution. Mascots are very popular and despite the importance of the message they convey, they are designed in a simple manner with bright, happy colors appropriate for the 'festive' atmosphere of the Olympic Games.

Olympic mascots

Games City Name Species Designer Significance Image
1932 Summer Olympics Los Angeles Smoky Scottish terrier Born in the Olympic Village before the Olympics unofficial The Pittsburgh Press Sun May 1 1932 "Smoky" the mascot.jpg
1968 Winter Olympics Grenoble Schuss Skier Aline Lafargue (unofficial) Shuss.gif
1968 Summer Olympics Mexico City Red Jaguar Cat Unknown (unofficial)
1972 Summer Olympics Munich Waldi Dachshund dog Elena Winschermann A popular breed in Bavaria, it represented the attributes required for athletes – resistance, tenacity and agility.
1976 Winter Olympics Innsbruck Schneemann Snowman Walter Pötsch It represents the Games of Simplicity.
1976 Summer Olympics Montreal Amik Beaver Yvon Laroche,
Pierre-Yves Pelletier,
Guy St-Arnaud and
George Huel
One of the national symbols of Canada.
1980 Winter Olympics Lake Placid Roni Raccoon Donald Moss Its face design resembles the hat and goggles used by competitors. Named for the Adirondack mountain range.
1980 Summer Olympics Moscow Misha (Миша) Brown Bear Victor Chizhikov The bear was the national symbol of the Soviet Union. 1980 USSR stamp Olympic mascot.jpg
1984 Winter Olympics Sarajevo Vučko Wolf Jože Trobec Symbolizing the desire of humans to befriend animals. According to the IOC, it helped change the common perception in the region of wolves as frightening and blood-thirsty.
1984 Summer Olympics Los Angeles Sam Bald eagle Robert Moore
(from
The Walt Disney Company)
The symbol of the United States.
1988 Winter Olympics Calgary Hidy and Howdy Polar bears Sheila Scott Both represent Western Canadian hospitality.
1988 Summer Olympics Seoul Hodori (호돌이) Siberian tiger Hyun Kim Common in Korean legends. XX1088 - Seoul Paralympic Games Seoul City Shots - 4 of 12 - Scan.jpg
1992 Winter Olympics Albertville Magique Man-star/snow imp Philippe Mairesse
1992 Summer Olympics Barcelona Cobi Catalan sheepdog Javier Mariscal Drawn in avant-garde, cubist style Figureta d'en Cobi (2).jpg
1994 Winter Olympics Lillehammer Håkon and Kristin Humans Kari and Werner Grossman Both are dressed in Viking clothes. First mascots to be human figures.
1996 Summer Olympics Atlanta Izzy Unknown John Ryan The first computer-generated mascot. (USA)
1998 Winter Olympics Nagano The Snowlets:
Sukki, Nokki, Lekki and Tsukki
Owls Pierre-Laurent Thève/Landor Associates, Paris Representing the four major islands of Japan. The first syllable of each name combines phonetically to create the word "Snowlets".
2000 Summer Olympics Sydney Olly
(from "Olympic")
Kookaburra Jozef Szekeres, Matthew Hatton Representing the Olympic spirit of generosity.
Syd
(from "Sydney")
Platypus Representing the environment and energy of the people of Australia.
Millie
(from "Millennium")
Echidna Representing the Millennium. All three mascots are common wild animals found in Australia.
2002 Winter Olympics Salt Lake City Powder
(a.k.a. Swifter)
Snowshoe hare Steve Small,
Landor Associates
and Publicis
All three mascots are indigenous animals of the U.S. state of Utah, and are named after natural resources important to the state's economy. These animals are major characters in the legends of local American Indians, and these legends are reflected in the story of each mascot. To remind them of this heritage, all mascots wear a charm around their neck with a petroglyph image.
Copper
(a.k.a. Higher)
Coyote
Coal
(a.k.a. Stronger)
American black bear
2004 Summer Olympics Athens Athena and Phevos (Αθηνά, Φοίβος, Πρωτέας) Brother and sister Spyros Gogos Two modern children resembling ancient Greek dolls.
2006 Winter Olympics Turin Neve and Gliz Snowball and Ice cube Pedro Albuquerque "Snow and Ice". Neve ("Snow" in Italian) is a humanized female snowball that wears red and represents "softness, friendship and elegance." Gliz (a shortened form of Ghiaccio, "Ice" in Italian) is a humanized male ice cube who wears blue and represents "enthusiasm and joy." Neve and Gliz.jpg
2008 Summer Olympics Beijing The Fuwa (福娃):
Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, Nini
Koi, giant panda, Olympic Flame, Tibetan antelope, swallow Han Meilin The five names form the Chinese phrase "Beijing huan ying ni" (北京欢迎你), which means "Beijing welcomes you". Each representing an Olympic ring and Feng Shui element. Stuffy olympics (2631486904).jpg
2010 Winter Olympics Vancouver Miga Sea Bear Meomi Design
(a group of
Vicki Wong and
Michael Murphy)
Part orca and part kermode bear Miga (mascot).jpg
Quatchi Sasquatch From Canadian mythology Quatchi (mascot).jpg
Mukmuk Vancouver Island marmot Not an official mascot, but their designated "sidekick".
2012 Summer Olympics London Wenlock A drop of steel with a camera for an eye. Iris Named after the village of Much Wenlock in Shropshire – which hosted a precursor to the modern Olympic Games in the 19th century. It represents the UK's start of the Industrial Revolution. Olympic mascots (cropped).jpg
2014 Winter Olympics Sochi Bely Mishka (Polar Bear), Snow Leopard (leopard), Zaika (the dore hare) (Леопард, Зайка, Белый Мишка) Silvia Petrova, Vadim Pak, Oleg Serdechny First mascots decided by popular vote. Stamps of Russia 2012 No 1559-61 Mascots 2014 Winter Olympics.jpg
2016 Summer Olympics Rio de Janeiro Vinicius A hybrid animal representing all Brazilian mammals Luciana Eguti and Paulo Muppet Inspired by Brazilian fauna. Named after the poet and bossa nova composer Vinicius de Moraes decided by popular vote.

Parque Olímpico da Barra da Tijuca em 2015 01.jpg

2018 Winter Olympics Pyeongchang Soohorang (수호랑) A white tiger MASS C&G A white tiger. The tiger is an animal closely related to Korean mythology, and is a symbol of trust, strength, and protection. 2018 Winter Olympic Mascot Soohorang.jpg
2020 Summer Olympics Tokyo Miraitowa (ミライトワ) Robot Ryo Taniguchi A superhero-inspired robot that embodies both old tradition and new innovation. The Olympic mascot was chosen from several designs submitted by schoolchildren and illustrators throughout Japan.
2022 Winter Olympics Beijing Bing Dwen Dwen (冰墩墩) Panda Cao Xue With a suit of ice, a heart of gold and a love of all things winter sports, this panda is ready to share the true spirit of the Olympics with the whole world.
2024 Summer Olympics Paris The Olympic Phryge Phrygian cap Gilles Deleris Based on the Phrygian Cap that Marianne used at the time of the French Revolution. It was revealed on 14 November 2022.
2026 Winter Olympics MilanCortina d'Ampezzo Tina Ermine Students of the Istituto Comprensivo of Taverna in Calabria Derived from Cortina d'Ampezzo, one of the two host cities. It was revealed on 7 February 2024 during the second night of the 2024 Sanremo Festival.
2028 Summer Olympics Los Angeles TBA TBA TBA TBA
2030 Winter Olympics TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA
2032 Summer Olympics Brisbane TBA TBA TBA TBA

Youth Olympic mascots

Games City Name Species Designer Significance Picture
2010 Summer Youth Olympics Singapore Lyo and Merly Red male lion (Lyo), Blue female merlion (Merly) Cubix International The two characters are an allusion to the "Lion City" label of Singapore, and the Merlion, a national symbol of Singapore, respectively. MerlyandLyo-YouthOlympicGamesSuperStore-Singapore-20100505.jpg
2012 Winter Youth Olympics Innsbruck Yoggl Alpine Chamois Florencia Demaría and Luis Andrés Abbiati of Argentina Yoggl represents the character of the host city of these games Yoggl - Gala Nacht des Sports 2011.jpg
2014 Summer Youth Olympics Nanjing Lele(砳砳) Yuhua Stone LeLe is inspired by a unique natural feature of the host city known as the "Rain-Flower Pebble" (also translated as "Riverstone"). The design of the mascot takes the typical shape and appearance of this stone but in a creative and artistic way, highlighting the colours from the emblem's palette. The word 'lele' represents the sound of stones colliding together and is pronounced like the Chinese word meaning happiness or joy.
2016 Winter Youth Olympics Lillehammer Sjogg Lynx Line Ansethmoen Sjogg in town (21648317444).jpg
2018 Summer Youth Olympics Buenos Aires Pandi Jaguar Human Full Agency Pandi is young jaguar. Its name "#Pandi" is a combination of the scientific name of the species (Panthera onca) and the relationship of the mascot with the "digital world". 2018-10-08 Shooting at 2018 Summer Youth Olympics – Girls' 10 metre air rifle (Martin Rulsch) 138.jpg
2020 Winter Youth Olympics Lausanne Yodli A cow, Saint Bernard dog and a goat hybrid. ERACOM A yodel singing technique, popular in Switzerland and in areas of France, was the inspiration for the name of the mascot. Yodli is a cross between a cow, goat, and the Saint Bernard breed of dog, all of which are commonly found in the Swiss mountains. Lausanne 2020 Torch Tour in Sarnen 09.jpg
2024 Winter Youth Olympics Gangwon Province Moongcho A snowball born from a snowball fight between Soohorang and Bandabi. Soo-Yeon Park Moongcho Curling Pin 1.jpg
2026 Summer Youth Olympics Dakar TBA TBA TBA TBA

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Mascota de los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

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