bring the bears

While the first mascot bear was introduced in Moscow 1980while Misha has become a household name around the world, “Mikhail Potapych Toptygin” (Misha’s full name) is far from the only bear mascot to feature prominently at the Games.

Calgary 1988 saw two polar bears, Hidy and Howdy, raise the Canadian flag at the Winter Olympics, while the bears made a comeback in Salt Lake City 2002 when Coal the black bear was chosen as the mascot alongside Copper the coyote and Powder the American hare.

Sochi 2014 saw another bear as part of a trio, with the polar bear joining the leopard and the hare at that year’s Winter Games.

And who can forget Bing Dwen Dwen, from Beijing 2022the ice-covered panda that welcomes the world to the second Olympic Games held in the People’s Republic of China.

Interesting fact: While all of the bears have been popular mascots around the world, one of them has also become famous for an unusual experience. In June 1978, Misha was launched into space aboard the Soyuz rocket to spend time on the Salyut 6 space station.

Other furry friends represent the Olympic spirit

Of course, bears aren’t the only animals that have inspired the Games’ mascots. Munich 1972 saw the introduction of the Waldi dachshund, with the Olympic marathon course that year taking the form of the multicolored dog.

A beaver took center stage Montreal 1976Amik (a word meaning beaver in the Algonquin Indian language of Canada) becoming the symbol of the Games.

Two years later, it’s Roni the raccoon’s turn to wow the crowds at Lake Placid 1980followed by Vučko the Wolf at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo 1984before Sam the Bald Eagle stole the show in LA 1984🇧🇷

Seoul 1988 saw the introduction of the Hodori tiger before the Cobi Pyrenean Mountain Dog in Barcelona 1992🇧🇷

More recently, the platypus (Syd), the cucaburra (Olly) and the spiny anteater (Millie) have become the Games’ ambassadors. Sydney 2000while the white tiger Soorangho was the symbol of the Winter Olympics Pyongchang 2018🇧🇷

Interesting fact: Barcelona’s 1992 mascot, Cobi, inspired a 26-episode cartoon series called “The Cobi Troupe” that aired on 24 different TV channels.

human-shaped mascots

Although the original Olympic mascot Shuss of Grenoble 1968 may not look entirely human, it was based on the idea of ​​a man on skis. Shuss was created in a single night by designer Aline Lafargue in a last-minute presentation.

You 1994 Games in Lillehammer introduced the first mascots in real human form, with children Haakon and Kristin representing the Games.

And although perhaps more gods than humans, in Athens 2004 brother and sister Phevos (another name for the Greek god Apollo) and Athena have proven to be very popular mascots, linking the ancient Greek of the Olympics to the modern Games.

Interesting fact: Haakon and Kristin weren’t the only mascots for the Lillehammer Games in 1994. The organizers also chose eight pairs of real children to represent the regions of Norway as “living mascots”.

“It’s really a way of communicating about the Games, of communicating that the Games are coming soon and it also demonstrates the spirit of the specific edition of the Games, because of the colors of the mascot, because of the name of the mascot. So it really refers to the visual of the Games, to the identity of the edition of the Games.”

– Anne Chevalley, Head of Educational and Cultural Services at The Olympic Museum, talks about the significance of the Olympic mascots in 2014.

The Wild and the Wonderful

It is clear that many mascots were the fruit of the creative minds of their designers, taking on shapes that represent distinct characteristics of the countries in which the Games were held or new developments at the time.

Innsbruck 1976 saw Schneemandl, the snowman chosen as the mascot, while an imp named Magic was the mascot of Albertville 1992🇧🇷

Izzy’s bright blue lit up Atlanta 1996based on the idea of ​​advancements in information technology, while the snowy owls Sukki, Nokki, Lekki, and Tsukki were featured in Nagano 1998🇧🇷

The Neve snowball and the Gliz ice cube were chosen for Torino 2006, while the mythical animals Bigfoot (Quatchi) and the sea bear (Miga) were the stars of Vancouver 2010🇧🇷

And who can forget the Wenlock of London 2012a creature made from the last drop of steel used in the construction of the Olympic Stadium, Vinicius do Rio 2016 it was a mixture of different animals or the blue and white Miraitowa which became a hit in the Tokyo 2020🇧🇷

Interesting fact: The light that adorns the head of the London 2012 mascot Wenlock is inspired by the famous black taxis of the English capital. The mascot design received more than 100 submissions, including a teapot and a Big Ben figurine with arms and legs.

Discover the former Olympic mascots on Official Olympics.com mascot page